Blast to the past
by Nivalannexis
Summary: Heroes arrive from the future on a mission. But is there more to their mission than they let on.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Happy Harbor

Mt. Justice

"Are you clear on your mission objectives?" The dark knight asked the three young girls standing before him.

"Yes, we are to retrieve our teammate designated Pyro and apprehend the super criminal Dark Matter" a teenage girl with black and red hair answered him.

"That shouldn't be too hard." The tall blonde next to her said as she draped her arms around her friends' shoulders.

"That's what you always say Lily." The third girl of their group said as she rolled her eyes at her best friend.

"Ok you three, it's time." Zatanna said as she lifted the golden helmet she held in her hands and put it over her head. There was a flash of light and in front of them stood the Lord of Order. "Zoe whenever you are ready" Nabu addressed the dark haired girl. Zoe Grayson ran up to the dark knight and threw her arms around her father.

"Be careful." Richard whispered to his daughter and kissed her forehead. Lily West hugged her mother and brothers.

"Sorry your father couldn't be here." Artemis said as she held her only daughter in her arms.

"Its ok mom, villains never rest. I understand." She turned to her brothers and looked them in the eye, "take care of mom ok?" The two boys nodded and hugged her once more before she went and stood next to Zoe.

Aurora held on to her mother," don't worry mom, we won't let anything happen to him." After what had just happened, she didn't want her mother to lose her son nor did she have any intentions of losing her brother.

"Be safe and look out for each other" Megan Morse on the verge of tears told her daughter. Aurora Kent went and took her place beside her friends as they prepared for the mission that they had been assigned.

"Don't worry, we'll be back in a flash" Lily said smiling brightly.

"Lily!" several voices rang out as Artemis face-palmed herself and shook her head.

"Ready?" Nabu asked the raven haired magician.

Zoe nodded and went to stand next to fate, "together?" She asked enthusiastically.

Fate nodded "Together." They both spread their arms and started to chant the incantation that would open the portal to their destination. As the portal opened, Zoe heard another voice chanting with them as she turned towards the voice she saw her sister standing next to Aurora's younger sister who was holding her hand tightly. Her eyes widened as she finally realised what her sister was doing. "Zahara what are you…" her query was cut short as there was a flash of blinding light and an explosion that sent the three girls flying into a building that had not existed a second ago.

Aurora found herself lying on her stomach in a pile of debris. Her vision was blurry as she surveyed her surroundings. Her eyes landed on the young magician her eyes were closed and blood oozed from a nasty cut on her forehead. "Zoe," she whispered as she raised her hand towards the young girl before she blacked out and her hand fell to the ground as the hood of her costume covered her head and she turned invisible.

Mt. Justice

(Present day)

7:48 P.M

Cassandra was shaking slightly, partly due to excitement and partly due to fear as she stood in front of her opponent. Normally, she wouldn't be scared but she was slightly at awe of the kryptonian clone that stood before her.

Conner was staring at M'gann and La'gaan as they sat at the end of the training room hand in hand having a conversation with Artemis. The Martian had been spending a lot of time with them ever since La'gaan was rescued and Kaldur and Artemis came back. Conner's eyes found their clasped hands and he turned to face his opponent as a low growl escaped his throat and he clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles popped.

Cassie instinctively took a step back from the demi-kryptonian and turned to face her mentor. Wonder woman gave a small nod of encouragement to her protégé and turned to exchange a look with Canary.

It had been a few days since they all learned about Conner's new power and the league wanting to know his true potential had run varying simulations. They were in the cave's training room, with the members of the team seated around on the floor or on fold-out chairs or just leaning against the cave wall. Batman and superman were standing at the end of the room, quietly analyzing the situation and ready to intervene incase Connor lost control. Oliver was sitting cross-legged next to Wally, sharing a bowl of popcorn.

Cassie waited and when Conner looked at M'gann out of the corner of his eye, she saw an opening and lunged at her teammate. This turned out to be a big mistake when Conner ducked under her before making a roll and coming to a stop at the other side of the floor. Cassie sensing her error turned just as a telekinetic blast threw her into the air and she had the sense to fly just a few centimeters from the ground. She flew into the air and straight at Conner using all her strength to punch him just as Conner used his telekinesis with his kryptonian strength to punch her back and where the two fists contacted each other, there was a giant shockwave and Cassie was thrown back sliding across the room on her back while Conner was pushed back a few steps. He walked over to the fallen Amazon and held his hand out for her. Cassie accepted his help and stood up, brushing dust off of her. "That was impressive Kon-el" Superman said as he walked over and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks." Conner said rubbing the back of his head. He glanced over at M'gann and their eyes met for a moment before she blushed and looked away.

Conner walked over to Gar, Jaime and Zatanna, who were petting wolf at a corner of the cave. "Conner that was awesome." Garfield said as he morphed from a "wolf"-sized green wolf to his normal monkey-boy hybrid.

"Thanks Gar." He said as he went down on one knee and started to pet wolf who licked his face affectionately. It was then that Conner noticed that Zatanna was holding her head in her hands her face contorted in pain. "Zee, what's wrong" he asked her his hands outstretched towards her, but before he could even touch her, she threw her head back her eyes glowing a bright golden light and her mouth open in an ear-splitting scream of pain that lasted for a few seconds before she closed her eyes and passed out as Conner caught her before she hit the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Mt. Justice

8:03 P.M

Zatanna woke up in the muscular arms of a certain clone before she was laid gently on the couch in front of the TV. "Hey." Conner said softly when he saw she was awake.

"What happened?" she asked with a groan.

"We were hoping you would tell us." M'gann said as she sat on the arm of the couch.

"I'm not sure." She said as she rubbed her head. Conner tapped the communicator in his ear and spoke into it," She's awake."

"Thank God," Night wing's voice was full of relief," If she can move, we need all of you in the briefing room now."

Conner looked at her and she nodded at him before accepting his help. "How long was I out?" she asked as they walked towards the briefing room.

"A couple of minutes." M'gann answered her." Dick nearly went nuts."

At her words Zatanna felt her cheeks heat up and it didn't help when Conner laughed softly at her reaction. They entered the briefing room to find the rest of the team and the league members in front of a large holoscreen that showed Dr Fate and the Manhunter who were on watchtower. "Zatanna how are you feeling?" Canary asked when she noticed the trio's presence.

"I'm alright, just a slight headache. But I'll be fine." She reassured the group before her. Her eyes fell on Nightwing and she gave him a small smile.

"It seems that whatever happened to you happened to Fate as well. As you were saying Dr." Batman said as he turned towards the holoscreen once more.

"I don't think that this is an assault on the magical beings of the league." Fate said as his eyes wandered to the raven haired magician," It seems that powerful magic was performed nearby and we are feeling the aftershocks. I have pinpointed the sight of this disturbance to an area roughly 50 miles from the cave. It would be wise if you and the team reach there as soon as possible.

"Sending the coordinates now." Manhunter said as he typed on the keyboard at their end.

"Those coordinates match up with reports of an explosion in the area, a big explosion." Nightwing reported as he typed away at his wrist computer.

"Ok team, you'll go to those coordinates and report on your findings, the rest of us will be on standby in case you need assistance. If you do not report back to the cave in ten minutes after your arrival, we will assume that you are in trouble and we will come for you, understood." Batman looked at the youths assembled before him before turning to Zatanna," will you be able to join them?" He asked the magician.

Zatanna still felt a little sore but she thought she could handle one simple recon mission," yeah, I'm good."

"Ok, move out. Mal as usual will be ops manager coordinating comms from the cave. Good luck."

"Wally, you can reach faster if you are on foot, find a vantage point and report on what you see. No matter what do not engage if there are hostiles. You will be designated Gamma" Nightwing told his friend as they headed for the bioship.

"Aye, captain." Wally gave Nightwing a salute before he took off.

"Superboy, wondergirl, wolf, batgirl and beast boy, you are Alpha squad take sphere and head straight for the center of the explosion, if there are hostiles take them out if not then concentrate on the injured." The afore mentioned took off towards sphere and in seconds they were off. "The rest of us will go by bioship, the area of the explosion extends up to the sea, La'gaan and Kaldur you will be Beta concentrate in the water and the surrounding area. The rest of us will be Delta, our objective provide support where needed." They entered the bioship and took their seats as M'gann brought the bioship to life. There was a beep in his ear and Nightwing pressed the small comm. Unit in his ear, "Go Wally."

"There doesn't seem to be hostiles, but there are wounded. The explosion destabilized some buildings with people trapped in them and caused some fires."

"Ok, help the wounded and see what you can do about those fires before Alpha gets there."

"Already on it, Gamma out."

"Alpha, objectives updated, provide support for Gamma and help with those buildings."

"Got it." Conner's voice floated through the earpiece before it went silent.

"5 minutes to Beta drop point." M'gann announced.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Conner steered sphere to what appeared to be the center of the explosion and jumped to the ground landing with a dull thud. He heard a second dull thud beside him as the kobra-venom enhanced wolf landed at his right. The rest of the team landed beside him and they surveyed the destruction for a second. The area of the explosion was about a 200 meter radius. It had once been a residential apartment block that was partly reduced to rubble and most of the block was crumbling giving the impression that it could topple over at any time. At the side of the block was a store with the front half missing. The explosion extended into the beach where palm trees were on fire and debris littered the white sand. There were bodies everywhere as people, battered, bleeding and bruised ran everywhere.

"Wow." Garfield whispered as he surveyed the destruction before them.

There was a whoosh as kid flash skidded to a halt before them. "It's unbelievable isn't it?" His teammates just nodded before Conner turned to the speedster.

"Did you contact the cave?"

"Yeah, other league members should be here shortly to help with the evacuation. In the meantime, there are a lot of people still stuck in that apartment block and the rescue teams can't get anywhere near it."

"Ok, Cassie, Wolf and I will take care of the apartment block. You, Barbra and Gar will take care of the wounded on the ground." Conner looked at all of them for any objections and on finding none, he, Wolf and Cassie went to the apartment and started with the evacuation of those inside. The rest went to help the injured lying in the street and using sphere to transport them to the E.M.T's.

A few minutes later, the rest of the team arrived o help with M'gann, bumblebee and Robin heading to the apartment to assist Conner and Cassie. After the arrival of Superman, batman, canary, green arrow, Hal Jordan, wonder woman, flash, the hawks, Martian Manhunter and Nabu, the evacuation of the injured went faster than expected. And thanks to a small miracle, there were no fatalities.

As they helped to clear the debris, Conner's super hearing caught something, a small cough and shallow breathing that had been masked by the sound of the sirens and the screams of the injured. Wolf seemed to have heard it as well and the both of them set off towards the sound of the breathing. The sound seemed to be coming from the store and as they got nearer, Conner heard heartbeats, two heartbeats, both coming from underneath a fallen wall. Hooking his fingers under the rock he lifted the wall slowly and carefully and on seeing that the wall was a safe distance from the two bodies lying on the ground, he flicked his wrists and sent the debris flying behind him. The first thing he noticed was that both of them were girls. The second thing he noticed was that they were both in costumes. "Over here!" he bellowed over his shoulder as Wolf let loose a loud howl.

"What's up Conner?" Wally asked as he skidded to a halt next to Wolf and the clone. "Wow," he whispered as his eyes fell on the two girls before him.

"Conner, what is the matter?" Dinah asked as she and the rest of the league came before them, and she joined them staring dumbfounded at the two girls.

Both of them were costumed, but they appeared to be roughly between 15 to 18 years of age. The older of the two had short shoulder-length black hair with purple and blue highlights that fell across the left side of her face. She had a lovely heart-shaped face and full lips that were painted a dark purple. She had a black domino mask across her face. Her costume consisted of a black overcoat over a white shirt/blouse with a bowtie tied around her neck. She had on a short black skirt that ended a few inches above her knees and black fishnets and on her feet she wore black combat boots.

The other girl had long strawberry blonde hair that was spread out around her. Her eyes were hidden behind what looked like hi-tech wraparound sunglasses. Her costume was identical to Artemis', the difference being in the blue and black color scheme of the former and the arrow head on her chest was flanked by diagonal lightning bolts.

Both of them also had various injuries and multiple cuts all over their bodies and their costumes were ripped and coated with dust. "So what do we do with them?" Nightwing asked his former mentor.

Batman studied the girls for another second before he spoke, "take them to the cave for now, just in case they are connected to this explosion we will need answers. Aside from that the similarities between their costumes and Zatanna and Artemis' costumes warrants further investigation into their identities."

Conner and Wondergirl took the two girls carefully in their arms and carried them into the bioship. As Conner climbed into sphere for the trip back, he felt something at the back of his mind. Something familiar, like somebody was trying to reach out to him. "Con, are we going or what?" Gar asked as he fidgeted in the back seat.

"Yeah." Superboy said before he revved the supercycle and angled it towards the sky.

"Conner are you alright?" Barbara asked the clone noticing his thoughtful expression.

"I'm fine." Conner said as he thought back to that feeling," I'm just fine." The boy of steel said as they all headed to the cave.

At the edge of the water, the waves of the ocean broke over an invisible force lying on the beach. The girl sputtered as she tried to spit out the sea water before she levitated and followed the departing heroes to their base.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Mt. Justice

11.36 P.M

"Conner, Cassie take them to the infirmary." Nightwing said as the door of the bioship opened and the team exited. Wolf and sphere headed outside for some air while the team and the league members went into the briefing room. Conner and Cassie took the two girls gently in their arms and carried them to the infirmary and laid them on two cots before they left Canary and Diana to tend to their injuries. They walked back to the briefing room to find the league members and the rest of the team in a discussion concerning the two costumed Jane Does.

"Those costumes speak for themselves Nightwing. Do you think that they just happened to be passing by when the bomb went off?" Mal asked their leader.

"Their presence at the sight of the explosion cannot be ignored but the fact remains that we have never run into them before and we don't know whether they are friend or foe." Nightwing stated calmly.

Just then there was a beeping noise at the console where Batman had been busy typing away at the holoscreen followed by a cool female voice," analysis complete." Batman narrowed his eyes as he read the report.

"Interesting." He said as he rubbed his chin.

"What is it Batman?" Hal asked as he walked closer to the holoscreen.

"Well apparently, the explosion was not caused by a bomb. Analysis of samples collected in and around the blast site shows no chemical signatures of any of the known types of explosives. There are no bomb fragments and no radiation of any kind."

"So what caused the explosion?" La'gaan asked

They were quiet for a moment before Zatanna spoke," Magic."

"What?" Artemis asked as she turned to her witch friend.

"Remember, Fate said that some powerful magic was being cast in the same area as the blast. Maybe that is what caused the explosion."

"That seems plausible, but the level of power capable of casting a spell that touched both of us, you here on earth and me in orbit is immense. Far more than any of those girls are capable of if any of them even have the affinity for the mystic arts." Nabu said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Just then Diana and Dinah walked back from the infirmary. "We can't touch them." Dinah stated as she walked over to the group.

"What do you mean?" Hawkwoman asked clearly puzzled as they all were by the Canary's statement.

"The girls, we went to remove their costumes so that we could wash their injuries and we couldn't touch them. It's like there is an invisible force field around them." Dinah explained.

"We couldn't even get any MRI, X-ray or CAT scan results." Diana added.

"I think that pretty much removes any doubt about one or even both of them having mystical powers." Tim said as he turned to face his mentor.

"But Connor and I carried them without a problem." Cassie stated as she turned towards her mentor.

"It seems to have activated as soon as we went to remove their masks." Canary rubbed her forehead. All this was so confusing and she was too tired to think straight.

"So we have no way of knowing the extent of their injuries." Batman stated as he looked at Diana.

"No, the only upside is that the blonde is healing quite rapidly and should be perfectly fine by the looks of it. The other one is another matter entirely. She seems to be getting worse as time progresses. I'm not sure she will last long at this rate." Diana ended the statement in a whisper. She didn't know who the two girls were, but something about them and the fact that they were hurt touched her heart.

"Conner?" Conner felt a surge of electricity run through him. Her voice calling his name always had that effect. He turned around and realised that he had walked across the room and was now standing right in front of the holoscreen. "What's wrong?" M'gann asked the concern in her voice causing a warm feeling to settle in his chest.

He had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he had not even registered as a small part of his mind caused him to move forward and the information from the holoscreen was added to the mix of data in his mind as he analyzed everything. He knew that his new found powers would take awhile to get used to, but it still freaked him out when he did things like that. It freaked them all out. His mind went over the data in his head for the eighth time before he spoke. "Their costumes."

"You lost us." Barbara said as she crossed her legs and sat on the floor. "What?" She asked as Batman glared at her. "I just spent the past three hours lifting and scurrying through debris for injured civilians. I am tired and I need a shower."

Batman brought his head down in a small nod before he turned to Conner," What about their costumes?" He asked. He wasn't sure what to make of the boy's new found abilities, but he had to admit, they came in handy.

"According to the blast radius coupled with GPS coordinates sent by J'onn and from sphere, those girls were approximately 123 centimeters from the epicenter of the explosion. On top of that, a wall fell on them and their costumes only have a few scrapes. Now regardless of the force field protecting them, and assuming it was active at the time, there should be a lot more damage to both them and their costumes. Also the similarity of their costumes with Artemis' and Zatanna's is quite remarkable."

The rest of the team nodded and silently waited for him to continue. "Another thing according to the figures on the screen, we saved 83 people who were taken to the local hospital for treatment."

"Yeah, it was fortunate that we got there in time to save them before the situation got more serious." Kaldur said as he joined the rest of the team on the floor. Only Connor and Nightwing remained standing.

"Considering the damage to the surrounding areas and the injuries inflicted, there should have been at least 16 deaths, yet there was none. That is puzzling as well."

"That had crossed my mind." Batman said as he turned to the clone. "Anything else that has come to your attention?"

"No." Conner replied as he turned his head to the side as if listening for something," I assume you are running a DNA analysis at the moment."

"Yes, using samples of blood I collected I am currently running a DNA scan and comparing them against every hospital, police and government records and against every league and team member." Batman looked at the Superboy who seemed to be listening intently for something.

"Every league and team member, why?" Karen asked the dark knight.

"After the arrival of Impulse and seeing their costumes, we can't rule out anything." He said as he stood up and turned towards the Martians. "J'onn, M'gann were you able to get a telepathic read on them?"

"Both of us tried on the way here. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful." J'onn said as he turned to his niece.

M'gann felt all eyes trained on her and her heart beat accelerated, not because she was embarrassed but because she could feel HIS eyes on her. "Both of their minds seemed to be well shielded from telepathic intrusion. I doubt we can get anything from them in that manner."

Suddenly Conner turned in the direction of the infirmary and called out, "Trying to sneak up on a kryptonian is difficult at best but with the way your heart is beating, I can hear you from a mile away so why don't you show yourself."

"Err, who's he talking to?" The Flash asked as he turned to green arrow who just shrugged his shoulders.

"We seem to have company," Superman said as he stood up straight, "I wasn't paying attention so I didn't hear it, but there is someone else in the room with us. I can hear their heart beat."

"Show yourself." Diana called out as all of them stood straight and rigid prepared to defend themselves and their home.

There was a few seconds of silence before Rocket turned to Conner, "are you sure there is an intruder in the cave, the alarms didn't even go off."

"Trust me super hearing doesn't make mistakes and neither does infrared vision." Conner told her before turning to face what only he, Wally and superman could see," there is no point in hiding, we can see you."

There was a loud dramatic sigh before they heard a soft feminine voice, "well since you can see us." And right in front of their eyes, out of thin air a hooded figure appeared as if a veil was being lifted. It was a teenage girl as far as they could see as she lifted her hood. She had short spiky black and red hair that stood out at different angles and her face was hidden behind a smooth black mask that had no openings. She wore a long hooded black sleeveless overcoat that reached just a few centimeters off the floor. Her hands had long black gloves that reached up to her elbows; the gloves seemed to have been cut around the fingers such that only the two middle fingers of each hand were completely covered. On her wrists she had bracelets similar to Cassie and Diana's only hers were thicker and were black with red patterns. She wore a black shirt underneath the undercoat and had on black leather pants that ended in black combat boots that reached up to her knees. She also had a black leather bag slung across her shoulders.

"Wow that is a lot of black." Tim said as he gripped his Bo staff tightly in his hands.

"Who are you and what are your intentions?" Batman asked as he took a step forward.

"We are no one. We just came to help our friends, friends that you seem to have rescued. We thank you for that." She said as she gave a small bow. "However, time is running out and we need to leave so thank you and goodbye." She turned towards the infirmary but a batarang hit the wall beside her and she stared at it for a moment before she turned towards the assembled heroes. "I'm guessing you won't just let me get my friends and leave."

"What was your first clue?" Bumblebee asked the intruder as she shrunk down and flew protectively in front of Mal; the only one among them who had no weapons or super powers.

The intruder turned towards the batarang for a second before she turned to face batman," smooth, sleek, aerodynamic. Designed to increase speed, accuracy and as a calling card a weapon that could only have been designed by Bruce Wayne. Tell me Mr. Wayne, how's the company?"

There were gasps of shock as the heroes turned towards the bat. "How did she?" Nightwing asked his former mentor.

"Batman is Bruce Wayne?" Artemis asked shocked as she finally understood how she got the scholarship to Gotham Academy.

Batman on the other hand showed no reaction and entered into a fighting stance," do not listen to her, she is just trying to distract us and get into our heads."

"Yeah, first rule of fighting; always act, never react. I act on your weakness and you react." She said

"Well now that we know your tricks, we won't fall for them anymore." Dinah said as she sized the new arrival. She was calm, too calm for a person who was caught sneaking into a League base that had at least 11 league members as well as the Team. On top of that how did she know Batman's identity and what else did she know.

"Trust me Dinah, I have a lot more. You do not want to do this." The girl spoke her voice full of regret at what she knew was about to happen.

"If you know something about that explosion we cannot just let you leave." Hawkman said as he shifted his mace from his right hand to his left and back again.

"So be it." The girl said as the overcoat disappeared in much the same way as M'gann's bioclothing and she threw the pouch aside," let the games begin."

A/N:

I made some changes to the first chapter since I intended it to be to chapters. Thanks to all the guys that have read and reviewed the story. Hope you are enjoying it.


	4. Chapter 4

Happy Habour  
Mt. Justice

Aurora landed roughly in the forest surrounding Mt. Justice. She leaned against a large tree and watched as the bio-ship landed inside the cave. She was still worn out from the botched time jump and her body had not recovered fully. We need to rest a voice in her head told her. "I know, but they need us." She shook her head to shake away the fatigue and pushed away from the tree as she walked towards the cave.

She was so out of it that she didn't hear the footfalls of a large predator until it was almost too late. The large venom enhanced wolf lunged her only for her to jump roughly out of the way. She tucked her body into a roll and stopped in a crouch her hands held up in front of her. "Wolf its okay, it's just me." She whispered to the animal in a soothing tone as the wolf growled menacingly, teeth bared at her. There was a series of trills and beeps and a second later Sphere rolled into the scene. "Hey Sphere, it's nice to see you girl." She stood up slowly and held her hand out towards the wolf. Wolf stood his ground as he stared at the girl. There was a very familiar scent coming off of her. She smelt a little like Alpha and a little like Alpha's former mate and another smell came off of her. She had a faint scent on her clothes, a scent he left everywhere he went. He was suddenly very confused, he had never met the girl yet she smelt of him. He stopped growling at her, and sat and his head tilted to the side as he waited for the girl to move forward. She didn't seem to be a threat and if she smelled of Alpha, he didn't want to make the mistake of hurting her.

Aurora watched as Wolf sat patiently waiting for her to make her move .She knew Wolf wouldn't and couldn't hurt her but she walked as slowly as she could her hand stretched out in front of her. She stopped right in front of the large animal and let him sniff her hand before she stroked the fur on his neck. "That's a good boy." She said as she placed her head on his such that their foreheads were touching and slowly opened her mind to the large animal showing him a few of her memories to explain who she was. After a few seconds, she closed her mind and stepped back," do you understand who I am now?" Wolf in response tackled her to the ground and licked her face. "I'll take that as a yes." She laughed as she pushed the creature away and stood up.

She brushed dirt and twigs from her costume before she reached into the black leather pouch slung across her shoulders and removed a small circular device about two inches in diameter and placed it on her left forearm as her glove and bracelet morphed around it holding it securely in place. She removed a small communications unit from the device and placed it into her ear. Aurora turned to the metallic sphere and pressed a button on the device on her arm and a large holographic screen and keyboard appeared. She typed on the wrist computer and after sometime a female voice announced," synchronization complete."

"Okay sphere, now we can talk." She told the New-genisphere.

Sphere let out a series of beeps and Aurora heard the translated words in her ear," how do you propose we do that? You cannot understand me."

Aurora smiled," on the contrary, I can understand you quite well."

"But how is that possible." The translated words floated from the comms unit in her ear.

"This," she said as she pointed to the device on her arm," is a computer similar to the Motherbox found on New Genesis, it interprets what you are saying and relays it to me via the comm link in my ear."

"But that technology is currently unavailable on this planet, and it is not from New Genesis."

"No, but it will be available in the future. That is if we can complete our mission. Sphere, I need you and Wolf to stay outside for awhile while we sneak into the cave and retrieve our friends."

"Why don't you just ask the youths to let you in?"

Aurora sighed and looked at the sphere," Those people inside that cave are our family. Our mission to this point in time was to retrieve a member of our team as well as the capture of a super criminal from our time. We were not supposed to make contact with any of the league members or any of the team members. Interacting with them may have disastrous consequences that we are trying to avoid. Please just stay here with Wolf until I extract Lily and Zoe."

"As you wish." Sphere rolled away with Wolf as they headed towards the beach.

Smiling, Aurora started typing at her wrist computer for about a minute before the words "Security system bypassed" flashed in large green letters. She looked down at her costume and frowned. She didn't expect to be spotted but just in case. She shifted her biowear, removing the large S shield from her chest and turned her whole costume black. She also morphed her costume into a mask covering her entire face. She didn't want anybody to see her resemblance to a certain Martian. Neither did she want anybody to see her slihtly luminous bright blue eyes. She removed her wrist computer and put it back in the pouch. Satisfied with the changes, she pulled the hood over her head and turned invisible. She phased through the cave wall and made sure to stay away from the briefing room.

She landed outside the infirmary and froze when she heard a familiar voice, "According to the blast radius coupled with GPS coordinates sent by J'onn and from sphere, those girls were approximately 123 centimeters…" She considered for a second the repercussions of what she was about to do but the temptation was too great. This is a very bad idea. the voice in her head warned her as she flew as silently as she could into the briefing room.

Don't worry, I just want a peak. she thought as she stared at the assembled members in front of her. Batman stood in front of the holoscreen, next to Superman, Hal Jordan and Hawkman. A little of to the side, Hawkwoman was leaning on the cave wall and beside her Manhunter and Nabu stood quietly as they watched the unfolding events. Canary, Wonder woman, Flash and Green arrow sat on the floor with their backs towards her. The rest of the team was huddled around the holoscreen. But that was not what caught her attention. It was the teenage boy standing in the middle of the group as he explained something that she could care less about at that precise moment. Her heart accelerated as she stared at her father. She didn't realise her mistake until it was too late as she heard her father's voice, "Trying to sneak up on a kryptonian is difficult at best but with the way your heart is beating, I can hear you from a mile away so why don't you show yourself."

Oh crap, she knew that this was a bad idea. She tried to calm down but was failing miserably. She tried to ignore them as they demanded she reveal herself, but when her father told her she couldn't hide from his infrared vision, she chose to throw caution to the winds and with a loud sigh made herself visible.


	5. Chapter 5

Happy Harbor  
Mt. Justice

Aurora didn't want to fight them, but even she had to admit, she wanted to know what they were capable of. She cracked her neck and squared her shoulders in anticipation of an attack. She looked at each and every one of them and saw Nightwing glance at M'gann and she knew that the Martian would link their minds together. As carefully as she could she intercepted the mind link just in time to hear M'gann's confirmation," link is established." While the team was used to the mind link, the same could not be said for the league members whose discomfort at having different voices in their heads was apparent. However they adapted quickly.

This is odd. Wonder Woman thought.

Yes but it will offer us the element of surprise. Batman replied through the mind link.

What's the play batman? Flash asked.

You and Kid will try to pin her. We have no idea what her powers are, so be careful. The rest of us will attack if unsuccessful. Projectile weapons to disorient and web arrows to detain, if that doesn't work then we bring out the big guns.

Aurora smiled at that, typical Bruce she thought to herself, careful not to alert them to her intrusion into their link. She barely saw Wally and Barry come after her and was almost too late as she cracked the ground underneath her with her telekinesis and threw the debris at the oncoming speedsters. Not expecting such an attack, Wally stumbled and fell while Barry just dodged all of the debris only to smack into a telekinetic wall. Aurora removed two small cylindrical devices from a hidden compartment on her costume and threw it at the two speedsters. The devices activated on impact with their bodies and thin black strands shot out and bound them tightly from head to toe. "Let's see you vibrate out of that Barry." She called out to the fallen speedster. "Two down, who's next?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, four batarangs hit her telekinetic shield, followed by three exploding arrows that detonated a safe distance from her.

Through the smoke, Hawkman flew at her his mace raised above his head and with a loud war cry brought it down with all his strength. Aurora dropped her shield and morphed one of her black and red bracelets into a larger mace and blocked the blow. This startled him long enough for her to find an opening and she hit him hard between his wings before smacking him across the face with the mace. Hawkman was thrown back towards the small group where he was caught by Hawkwoman. "My love…" She whispered cradling his face. She put him carefully on the ground and flew at the intruder letting loose a scream of rage," You will pay for that." she hissed and brought her mace on the intruder's head.

Aurora blocked it but was surprised by a punch to her jaw. She morphed her mace back to its bracelet form and caught Hawkwoman's hand as she brought the mace down for another blow.

Shayera tried to remove her hand from the intruder's grip but she held even tightly. She tried to punch her with her left hand but the intruder caught it as well and refused to let go.

Aurora knew she might be giving too much away but she couldn't resist. She held Hawkwoman's hands in her own and angled herself so that the rest of the heroes couldn't attack without hurting their comrade. She concentrated for a moment and felt the skin of her torso stretch and bones appear as she created two new arms. She used her newly formed limbs to hold Hawkwoman in a bone-crushing bear hug. After a few seconds, the woman went limp and Aurora let go of her only for an explosive arrow to hit her shield. She absorbed her extra limbs back and looked at the remaining heroes, waiting for the next attack.

This is not working batman. Oliver said as he notched another arrow and pulled the bowstring as far as it would go and let it fly with the same results as before.

I can see that. Her shield prevents us from attacking her using projectiles or in hand to hand. Fate, see what you can do against her.

Oh crap. Aurora thought as she watched the Lord of Order float up in the air and using his hands fired a beam of golden light at her. She closed her eyes as she prepared for the worst, but only felt a warmth settle over her. She opened her eyes and looked at her glowing body."Thanks babe, don't know why I ever doubted you." She watched as the spell was redirected back at Nabu and golden chains wrapped around his body.

"That is impossible." Nabu said as he fell to the ground struggling against the chains.

Well it seems that magic is useless against her. Zatanna thought bitterly.

Yeah, and she is also quiet good in hand to hand. Barbara noted.

Hal Jordan flew into the air and using his ring created a large green hand that he used to batter into the intruder's shield. Aurora feeling her strength ebb with every blow removed a yellow crystal from another hidden compartment and used her telekinesis to press it on the green lantern's chest. Hal looked at the crystal in surprise before his power ring darkened and he fell into Superman's hands. "What the hell did you do to my ring?" Hal asked the intruder as he tried to pry the crystal off.

It's time to end this. Diana, Wonder girl restrain her J'onn, Superman, Superboy take her down.

Diana and Cassie flew towards her and tried to use their lassoes against her but she deflected them only for Superman and Conner to ram into her shield. She staggered back before she caught herself just in time for the other attack as they all hit her shield. The blows were too much for her and the shield dissipated.

Seeing an opening, Superman lunged at her and pinned her arms over her head as Diana and Cassie landed in front of them and used the lassoes tying them to her arms. Seeing that the situation was going out of control, Aurora used her telekinesis to slam the Amazon and her protégé together. They loosened their grip on the lassoes and using her strength she flipped Superman over her head and slammed him into the ground creating a small crater and sending shockwaves throughout the cave. She removed two spherical devices and threw them at the other heroes. The balls exploded in the air and released a copious amount of foam that expanded trapping most of the team, Hal and Canary. Before he could recover, she removed another net capsule and pressed it into the man of steel's chest. Thin blue strands wrapped around the Superman locking him in place. Using the lassoes still tied around her arms she tied the still dazed Amazonian and her apprentice tightly together before they could get back in the fight. She saw Blue Beetle fly towards her and she pressed the little comm unit in her ear, "computer, incapacitate Blue Beetle." There was a loud high pitched noise that caused Jaime to fall on his knees his head in his hands. He moaned in pain for a few seconds before the armor went silent and he fell to the ground. In the heat of battle, she had lost track of J'onn. A mistake that Bruce would not be too happy about. The Martian appeared behind her, his long fingers covering her head as he tried to intrude into her mind. They stayed like that for a few seconds before an invisible force ruffled her hair as she used all of her mental energy in retaliation. The telekinetic bubble expanded so rapidly and forcefully that the Martian and Superboy were thrown backwards with the force of a small explosion. J'onn was thrown into a wall where he fell to the floor still and unmoving. Superboy used his own telekinesis to cushion himself and fell unsteadily on his feet. That left Batman, Oliver, Hal, Conner, M'gann, Richard and La'gaan to continue the fight.

"You should not have done that J'onn." She hissed at the Martian who was being tended to by M'gann. How does she know our names? Dinah asked in frustration struggling against the sticky foam.

I don't know, but this has to end now. Batman said his thoughts betraying a hint of exasperation.

"Enough of this." Aurora called out, "this is getting us nowhere. Richard you and me, if I win I take my friends and walk. If not I become your prisoner. No powers." She morphed her bracelets into black and red eskrima sticks similar to but slightly longer than Nightwing's.

Don't trust her it could be a trap. Batman turned to his former protégé.

Don't worry Bruce, I wasn't going to accept her offer. Nightwing reassured him.

What you don't trust me? Or maybe you are afraid you'll lose. Aurora said as she finally made her presence in their mind link known.

"M'gann, how could she intercept our mind link?" Nightwing asked out loud as he turned to the green-skinned red head.

"She must be a telepath, but this will make it easier for me to get inside her head." M'gann said as she stood up from her uncle's side. She stretched out her hand and her eyes glowed green as she assaulted the young girl's defenses.

"NO!" Aurora shouted as she realized what her mother was doing. "Don't please mo…" Her plea ended in a scream as she instinctively rebuffed the attack. M'gann's screams mingled with her own and she released a psychic blast as her eyes turned blue under the mask. M'gann fell silent as she closed her eyes and fell to the ground.

"M'GANN!" Conner bellowed as he ran and took the young Martian in his arms.

Aurora who had fallen to her knees looked over at her mother and felt her heart plummet to her stomach. "Mom!" she whispered as she ran over to her side. "Oh God, what have I done." She cried as she cupped her mother's face.

"Get away from her." She heard Conner growl as her hands were pinned behind her back. She didn't even struggle when Nightwing cuffed her hands behind her back. She just stayed on her knees her eyes on her mother's unmoving form.

"I didn't mean to, I have no control over my mental defenses. I'm so sorry" She choked out as she felt tears run freely down her cheeks. She knew her mother's defenses were weaker than they would be and that her psychic blast may have done irreparable damage.

The league and team members watched dumbfounded as she broke down and cried every now and then muttering apologies. "Conner, take M'gann to the infirmary." Nightwing walked over to the clone and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Conner stood up and walked towards the infirmary his eyes on the small girl in his arms. The girl he loved so much that it hurt to be away from her. If the intruder had hurt her, he was not sure he would be able to hold back his anger. Nightwing saw La'gaan attempt to follow Conner but he stepped in his path," I know she's your girlfriend but unless you want to join her for another long stay in the infirmary, I wouldn't interrupt him just yet." La'gaan knew about the clone's feelings for his girlfriend, his siblings had called her his "beloved". He also knew that with Conner's ability to lose control of himself if pushed enough he didn't want to aggravate the situation even further. They had seen firsthand what happened the last time he lost his temper. He looked at Nightwing and nodded at the girl kneeling in front of them.

"What do we do with her?"

Richard looked at the girl who was still crying then he looked over at his former mentor. Batman walked over to him, "let's find out who she is and why she is here. But first we have to free the others."

Nightwing crouched next to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. Aurora stiffened surprised by the contact. "Can you tell us how to free our friends?" He asked her in a soft voice. To him the girl didn't seem like a threat anymore.

Aurora nodded, "yes. But you will have to free me."

"We can't do that." Batman said in a gruff voice.

"Bruce, if she was a threat then she wouldn't have stopped attacking when M'gann was hurt." Nightwing said as he stood up.

"We can't take the chance Nightwing, she hurt M'gann." La'gaan insisted.

"Yes we can." Conner said as he walked back into the briefing room. She stopped crying when she heard his voice, and looked up at him. "If she tries anything else she will have to deal with me. Also if you didn't notice, she has super strength if she wanted to escape she would already be free."

Batman pondered for a moment before he gave Nightwing a small nod. Nightwing freed her hands from the cuffs and put them back in his belt. Aurora stood up and turned to her father, "How is she?" Conner looked away unsure of how to answer. She nodded then walked towards the heroes trapped in the foam and removed a small cylindrical vial containing a purple liquid. She twisted the cap and threw it in the air where it exploded and sprayed the liquid everywhere. The liquid dissolved the foam and freed the trapped heroes. She then went over to the speedsters and her bracelets morphed into sharp blades that she used to cut the bindings. She did the same to Superman's bindings and collected all the strands into a large ball that she threw inside the pouch. She also removed the crystal from Hal's chest and reactivated Jaime's armor.

"What about fate?" Wally asked as Artemis helped him to his feet. Just as the words left his mouth, the chains binding Nabu disappeared.

"I am truly sorry if I caused trouble, but I assure you I am no threat to you." Aurora said as she went over to check on J'onn. She placed a finger on his head and he woke up with a start.

"Then who are you and why are you here?" Superman asked. "And what was that netting made of, it felt like it took my powers away."

"And how did you know our real identities?" Flash added.

"I would also like to know how you turned my powers against me." Nabu said as they all surrounded her.

"And turned off my armor." Jaime added as the armor retracted back into the scarab in his spine.

Aurora took a deep breath," I will explain everything I can. But you all have to understand, there are things that I cannot tell you in such instances you will have to trust me. But first…" She trailed off as she morphed her costume, a large S shield appearing on her chest with red bands starting on the diagonal sides of the shield and crossing at her back. She now stood in a simple t-shirt, dark blue fatigue pants and boots smilar to her father. The patterns on her bracelets also changed displaying the El-family crest and other words in both kryptonian and martian. Finally she morphed the mask off of her face and held her head high for all of them to see.

There was no mistaking that face. It was M'gann or at least Caucasian M'gann but her features seemed to be smoother, younger. She had a nose ring on her left nostril and her lips were a soft shade of red. But the most noticeable feature was her eyes. Deep blue eyes that seemed to glow and contrasted with her red-black hair. "My name is Aurora Dinah Kent and I am your daughter." She said as she turned to face Conner.

"You're his what?" Wally asked surprise written all over his face.

"Is that even possible?" J'onn added he could not ignore the resemblance of the girl to M'gann.

"It's true, our father is Conner "Kon-el" Kent, and my mother is M'gann M'orzz Kent. We came back to this point in time to apprehend a super powered criminal who escaped to this time stream using an experimental device and retrieve our brother who accidentally followed said criminal through the time vortex." Aurora reported to the assembled heroes.

"And the two girls lying in the infirmary, who are they?" Hawkwoman asked.

"The blonde is Lilly West, daughter to Wally West and Artemis West also known as Quickshot. The other girl is Zoe Grayson, daughter to Richard Grayson and Zatanna Grayson also known as Nightwitch."

"Ok, so you mean to tell us that Wally and I have a daughter and that she is currently lying in a hospital bed fighting for her life?" Artemis asked a hint of panic in her voice. The thought of losing a daughter she had just met scared her more than she cared to admit.

"Yes Lilly is your daughter, but like all the people at the teleportation area she is being protected by Zoe's magic plus she is a fast healer so she is perfectly safe. Zoe is the one in danger."

"How do you mean?" Zatanna asked concern in her voice.

"Well I'll explain later but right now we need to help mom and Zoe before it's too late."Aurora said as she turned towards the infirmary and stopped in her tracks as she came face to face with M'gann.

She was leaning on the wall when Conner rushed forward and took her in his arms," what are you doing?" He asked her in a gruff voice.

"M'gann are you alright?" J'onn asked concern in his voice.

"I woke up in the infirmary and I couldn't remember how I got there, so I came to look for you guys in here…" she trailed off as her eyes fell on Aurora. "Who is she?"

They all turned to her for an explanation," Yeah, there might be some memory loss but it will come back to her."

"Well M'gann it seems that this lovely lady is your daughter." Wally said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"She's my what?" M'gann looked at Aurora's eyes and the red S shield on her chest then up at Conner who was making a point of not looking at her and suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "Conner, could you please put me down?" M'gann asked as she squirmed in his grasp.

"M'gann stop being ridiculous you can barely even stand." Conner said as he held her tighter.

"Please Conner?" She begged.

"For the love of…" he said as he put her on her feet and kept one arm around her waist to prevent her from falling.

"Look, we are wasting time here, the longer Zoe is unconscious the more her life is in danger." Aurora reminded them.

"So what do we do?" Zatanna walked towards her until she stood right in front of her.

"In the future, putting on the helmet of Fate is an honor. Zoe has been groomed since birth to become the next Fate. If we can put the helmet on her, it might help her to heal faster." Aurora looked at Fate waiting for his answer.

"No."

It was a simple word but it almost caused her heart to stop."Why?"

"What guarantee do I have that you will not simply place my helmet on some souvenir shelf after you have helped your friend?"

"Mine," Zatanna turned to the Lord of Order with tears in her eyes. Not only did she want to save her supposed daughter, but if he removed the helmet she could see her father again. "If my father does not wear the helmet, then I will. I esimorp."

"The terms are acceptable." Fate said as he raised his hands and removed the helmet. There was a flash of light and for the first time in 5 years Zatanna stared at the face of Giovanni Zatara.

"Daddy." Zatanna exclaimed as she ran into her father's arms tears streaming down her face.

"Zatanna!" Giovanni said as he hugged his daughter tightly.

Aurora gave them a second before she interrupted," Aunt Tanna, I'm really sorry for interrupting but we need to hurry."

"Yes, here you go." Zatara held out the helmet of Fate and Aurora took it in her hands.

"Thanks Geegee." She said as she headed towards the infirmary. Barely registering that all the heroes were following her.

"Geegee?" Zatara raised his eyebrows at the peculiar nickname.

"Grandpa Giovanni is a bit of a mouthful for a three year old. It kind of stuck when we grew up." She explained as she came to a halt next to Zoe's bed. She put the helmet on the pillow at the top of her head. "Come on babe, it's time to wake up." She whispered and kissed her forehead gently before she stepped back.

"I'm taking it you two are close." Garfield asked. She bit her bottom lip and just nodded.

"Why didn't you just put the helmet on her?" Cassie asked as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"It doesn't work that way, she'll don the helmet when she is ready."

They waited in silence for a few more minutes before the helmet lifted and the back melted away as it bound itself to her head.

There was a flash of light that shone brightly for a few seconds before disappearing to reveal Zoe seated upright, the helmet of Fate in her hands.

"Zoe!" Aurora exclaimed as she took the magician in her arms. "Don't you ever scare me like that again." she whispered before kissing her lips softly.

There was a groan as the other girl woke up. "Typical, the two of you don't even care that I almost died do you?" Lilly asked as she sat up on her cot.

Aurora and Zoe broke apart and looked at her," why do we even bring you on missions?" Zoe questioned the speedster.

"I have an even more important question, why is the entire league watching you two make out?" Lilly deflected as she finally took notice of the heroes who were watching silently.

"Well, I kinda had to tell them who we were." Aurora explained.

"So they know who we are and why we are here?" Zoe asked and Aurora nodded.

"Well at least for once I'm not the one who screwed up the mission." Lily said as she zoomed to Wally and Artemis and hugged them both," Hey mom, dad. It's nice to meet you, my name is Lilly. I'm your daughter from the future and is there anything to eat because I am starving." She finished as she rubbed her stomach.

"You are always hungry West." Zoe said as she tried to stand up.

"You sure you should be walking?" Aurora asked as she helped the young girl up.

"I'm fine Rory. Thanks to Nabu, I was able to heal all those who were injured and myself and Lily as well." She walked over to Zatara and gave him the helmet. "Don't worry," she reassured him as she saw the look of despair pass over her mother and grandfather's faces. "You have about an hour before you have to wear it again. I made some changes and it will take some time to intergrate them." She looked at them for another second before she gave them a big hug, "It's good to meet you."

Aurora watched silently as Zoe went on to throw her arms over a stunned Nightwing. Lilly on the other hand zoomed around the room hugging all heroes assembled.

"Aunt M'gann, you look great as usual..."

"Uncle Conner you look the same."

"Uncle Gar, wow you are so short." The young monkey-boy frowned at that.

"Grandpa Barry you look amazing. How's Aunt Iris?"

Aurora whose patience was fading faster than food after one of Lily's power jogs, lifted the girl up with her telekinesis," Lily, calm down."

"Rory put me down." The speedster begged as she wriggled in the air.

"Now that your friends are conscious, I think you owe us an explanation." Batman said his eyebrows raised as he received a hug from Zoe.

"Sure." Aurora said as she put Lilly down."But I think it would be best to continue this conversation in the kitchen because I'm also starving."

A/N  
Two new chapters, hope you are enjoying the story so far. Thanks to all those who have reviewed especially De Jesus who seems to be enjoying the story. Will try to update as soon as possible. Also there will be oneshots tied in to this story, just to give more info and also to explore other character relationships. Also just incase, I do not own young justice or any of its characters. Bye.


	6. Chapter 6

Happy Harbor  
12.50 p.m

"Thanks Aunt M!" Lilly gave M'gann a smile as she took another cookie from the plate in front of them. She, Zoe and Rory sat at the couch large glasses of milk in their hands while the rest of the team sat around the kitchen counter. The league members, excluding Zatara who had gone to take a well deserved shower, had been called away on an important mission but expected answers when they got back.

"So you were about to debrief us on your mission." Nightwing pressed.

"A week ago back in our time, Dark Matter escaped from a super-maximum prison. He went underground and yesterday broke into Star labs. He used an experimental device to travel here. My younger brother, who is currently studying at the facility was present at the time and has since been missing." Rory paused to take a sip of milk before she continued. "The conclusion was that he jumped back as well and six hours after the alarms at Star labs went off, this team was assembled; our mission, to apprehend Dark Matter and find our brother. Nabu, Zatanna and Zoe used magic to open a portal here but due to interference from Zahara, the portal was knocked off course. Luckily, there was a magical spell in place to prevent any deaths or permanent damage.

"Who's Zahara?" Conner asked.

"My all powerful little sister," Zoe explained "she hijacked the portal and was pulled in with us."

"All powerful?" Zatanna asked her eyebrows raised.

"People say I inherited your looks while little sister inherited your power."

"Did she come alone?" Rory asked fearing her answer.

"No, I don't know how many exactly came with her but Alanna will indeed be among them."

"And who is Alanna?" M'gann asked as she placed more cookies in front of Lilly.

"She is our youngest sister." Aurora explained.

"So there might be more kids lying around in some crater?" Zatanna asked her daughter.

"Not really, they are merely in transit. They should appear within a day or so."

They sat in silence for a moment before Rory stood up, "We are sorry for the trouble we caused but we have to leave."

"Aurora, come on you can't be serious it's like 1 in the morning." Lilly protested.

"Darkmatter is dangerous, the longer we stay here the further he advances his plans."

"Be that as it may, even if we knew where he is we are too tired to take him on. We need to rest." Zoe added.

"Your friends are right." Kaldur spoke as he stood up," You need rest and you are more than welcome to stay here at the cave."

"On top of that we would be more than happy to help you complete your mission and find your brother." Artemis added.

"Besides, it wouldn't hurt to spend time with our family." Lily reasoned as she put her glass down on the table.

Aurora remained silent for a second then stood up and walked out of the room.

"What was that about?" Conner asked as he stared at his daughter's retreating form.

"She's just in a bad mood is all. But the good news is that we are staying." Lily beamed as she cleared the plate in front of her.

"I'll go talk to her."Zoe said as she stood up and followed the Krypto-martian.

"Lily, can I ask you a question?" Connor asked as all eyes fell on him.

"Sure Uncle Conner." She answered. Then as an afterthought asked," Is it okay if I call you that?"

"Sure, just call us whatever makes you the most comfortable." M'gann reassured her as the rest of the team nodded their consent.

"Awesome, so Uncle Conner you were asking?"

Conner hesitated for a moment before he spoke," Are we good parents?"

Lily was slightly stunned at the question. She had definitely not seen that coming. "Why would you think you weren't?"

"Well you and Zoe seem happy to be around Richard, Zatanna, Wally and Artemis. But Aurora won't even look at me and she seems to want to be as far away from us as she can."

The team turned to the young speedster for an explanation as to the girl's strange behavior. It was true that Aurora had barely spoken to her parents and while Zoe and Lilly had openly showed their affection towards their parents and other team members, Aurora had remained distant. Lilly took a deep breath before she spoke," You are amazing parents not only to her but to the rest of our team. The only reason that Rory is distant is because 12 days ago, you died on an off-world mission." Conner was stunned into silence by the revelation as Lilly continued with her story. "You two were real close and she still hasn't come to terms with it. I think she doesn't want to get close to you because when we finally have to go back, she'll lose you all over again."

There was silence after that as the whole team tried to imagine what the young girl was going through. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Conner stood up," I think I'll go and talk to her."

"No Conner, I think it would be best if I am the one that talks to her." Zatanna said as she caught his arm.

"But Zee she's my daughter." He said as his paternal side kicked in.

"I know Conner, but I kind of have an idea of what she is going through. Just let me give it a try then you can talk to her later." She reassured him. He thought for a second before he nodded and sat back down.

"The rest of us should get to bed, something tells me tomorrow will be a long day." Nightwing said as M'gann used her telekinesis to clear the table. "Lilly you can sleep in one of the spare rooms, M'gann can show you to them."

"It's okay Uncle Rich, we know our way around the cave." Lily walked up to her parents and threw her arms around them, "I love you guys, goodnight." She stepped back and sped away as the group of teens went to their respective homes while those who stayed at the cave went to their rooms. Zatanna on the other hand went in search of her daughter and her distressed 'niece'.

* * *

Aurora sat at the edge of a cliff, one foot dangling over the edge while she rested her chin on the knee of the other. She was lost in thought, her mind going back to the worst day of her life.

_She was in Zoe's bedroom at the time. Richard was off world on a mission with the league and Zatanna and Nabu had gone to Africa to deal with Klarion. They were sprawled on the bed, Zoe on top of her their lips locked together as their hands explored every inch of each other. She stopped suddenly when she felt an overwhelming sense of grief engulf her. "Aurora, what's wrong?" Zoe asked her voice full of worry._

_"Zoe, please take me home." Aurora morphed her bioclothing into her signature black tee and got up from the bed._

_Zoe immediately knew something was wrong and she was really worried by this point. "What's wrong?" She asked again as she stood up._

_"Just take me home, please Zee." Aurora pleaded._

_Zoe nodded and went to stand next to her. Aurora rarely pleaded, the fact that she did showed the severity of the situation. Zoe lifted her hands and her eyes glowed white as with a flash of light they were teleported to the krypto-martian's home._

_The first thing Aurora noticed when she got home was the emotions of those assembled inside. Sadness, anger, grief all screamed at her. She rushed inside to find their house packed with league members but failed to register who they were. She only sought out one person and when she couldn't find him, she searched for her mother. She found the Martian in Artemis' arms as she cried into her shoulder. "Mom, what's wrong?" She asked her mother who seemed lost to the world as tears streamed down her face. It was the former Nightwing who stepped forwards his arms outstretched towards her. She stepped back and shook her head denying what her mind knew but what her heart refused to acknowledge. "Where is my father?"_

_"Aurora I'm so sorry…" He trailed off unable to find the words._

_"No, please God no. Tell me he's okay, please Dick." She begged as she stepped back away from the acting Dark Knight. She felt as if she couldn't breathe, all the emotion in the room was suffocating. But the worst was her mother's emotions. It was a pain she had never thought possible, a pain that crippled and burned so intensely she half expected her to burst into flames. She had to get away from it all the pain, the grief. So she did something she had never done before, she ran. Or rather flew as fast as she could. She vaguely heard her name being called but she didn't care. She flew for hours until grief and sleep overcame her and she landed in a clearing before she closed her eyes and went to sleep._

She was brought back to reality by the sound of footfalls approaching her as Zoe came and sat next to her. "You think I am acting like a child, don't you?"

Zoe smiled and turned her gaze towards the night sky, "not the word I would have used but yes you are acting like a child."

"I just want this mission over with as fast as possible and socializing is not part of the mission."

"That's bull and you know it. You're just afraid of getting hurt." Aurora remained silent and let her eyes stray towards the ocean. "Dammit Rory, there is nothing wrong with being afraid. Just don't waste an opportunity to spend some time with your dad." She wanted her to change her attitude towards her father but knew that pushing her would achieve nothing.

They sat in silence for some time before Aurora heard another set of footfalls approach them. A few seconds later Zatanna appeared," Zoe would you mind if I had a word with Aurora?"

"Sure mom!" Zoe said standing up and going back into the cave.

Zatanna sat down and let both legs dangle over the edge of the cliff. She waited for a minute before she spoke, "Lilly told us about your father... Conner and what happened. I know what it's like to lose a father. When my dad was taken over by Fate, I prayed that I could see him again, if only for a few minutes just enough to hug him and tell him I love him. I thought you would want the same thing."

"Aunt Tanna, it's not the same. Your father is still alive when he is under the control of Nabu, but my father is dead. When I go back, I will never see him again."

"But he is still alive, right here right now. Trust me if you don't let him in, it will hurt even more when you go back."

"I know, but that is not the only reason."

"Then what else?" Zatanna asked as she rubbed her eyelids with the palm of her hand. She was way too tired and all she wanted was to crawl into bed.

Aurora looked at her aunt for a second before she replied," Never mind. Look I promise I will talk to dad tomorrow, but we need to get to bed." Zatanna nodded she knew there was more to the story but she remained silent as they both stood up and headed into the cave. They reached the kitchen where they found Zatara seated at the counter a cup of coffee in his hands and the helmet of Fate on the counter next to him.

"Hey dad, how was your shower?" Zatanna asked as she took a seat beside him.

"It was refreshing." Giovanni took a sip from his cup and turned towards Aurora," I would like to thank you for giving me a chance to spend some time with my daughter."

"No need to thank me Geegee, it was the only way to save Zoe."

"I know but still…"

Aurora nodded, "It was my pleasure. I'll give you guys some privacy. Goodnight." And with that Aurora went in search of a room, knowing full well that Zoe would be waiting for her on a warm, comfortable bed.


	7. Chapter 7

Mt. Justice  
8.58 A.M

Aurora's eyes snapped open as she woke up with a start. She glanced at the bedside clock in disbelief, how could she have slept for almost eight hours? She normally slept for five hours and then she would start the day with her training. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the room. Zoe must have already woken up as the bed was empty. She stood up and morphed into a pair of black jeans and a simple blue t-shirt with the superman logo on the front and went to find the team.

* * *

"So you can accelerate your arrows?" Wally asked his daughter. "But I can't do that."

"Yes you can, or to be more accurate you will." Lilly said as she took aim at the target in front of her.

They were in the training room with the rest of the team who wanted to find out what they were capable of since they were going to work together. Lilly was currently demonstrating her ability to accelerate her arrows.

"So we have seen what you and Zoe are capable of, but what about Aurora?"Conner asked.

"Like her siblings, she has your collective powers as well as M'gann's though some are weaker than others." Zoe replied.

"They also have their individual abilities." Lilly reminded her.

"What individual powers?" M'gann asked.

"Well, you all know that Conner's telekinesis comes from Lex Luthor's dormant metagene that was activated by Cadmus to compensate for his suppressed Kryptonian powers. The metagene was carried over to your kids and gave each of them unique abilities on top of those they inherited from you."

"What kind of powers do they have?" Karen asked.

"Aurora and her twin have the ability to create an electromagnetic bubble when they touch." Zoe answered and started to pet Wolf who was lying next to her.

"Your second youngest Xavier, and this is extremely ironic, is a pyrokinetic and a pyromaniac to boot." Lilly added. "And on top of that, Alanna your youngest can turn into a creature similar to Doomsday."

"Wow, your kids seem to be really powerful." Garfield marveled as he turned to his sister.

"How many do you have?" Wally added turning to the Martian.

"Currently eight and yes they are powerful. Not to mention absolutely insane." Lilly added.

"Guess we know what you and Conner excel at." Wally teased M'gann causing the Martian's face to turn red and earning a smack across the head from Artemis.

"What do you mean by insane?" Conner asked.

"I mean loco, crazy, and nutty." Lilly said dramatically.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out when Aurora referred to herself as 'we' instead of 'I'." Wally said sarcastically.

Zoe and Lilly looked at each other with amused grins on their faces and were about to explain when the subject of their conversation walked into the room," I refer to ourself as 'we' because I am currently sharing my body with my twin brother Uncle Wally."

The whole group turned to face the new arrival with confused expressions. "I'm sorry, but did you just say that you are sharing your body with your twin?" Cassie asked.

Aurora floated in midair her legs folded underneath her," Yeah, we can merge our bodies together and it increases our strength, durability and it also makes it possible to access our e.m shield. The merge also helps us when we undergo psychological stress and after dad died it was the only way for us to cope without losing control."

Why didn't you tell them the truth? her brother spoke up.

I didn't lie. I just left out a few things.

You should tell them. He insisted.

They don't need to know. Not yet. She waited for him to push her but he remained silent.

"Can we talk to him?" M'gann asked hopefully.

"Sorry mum, but like Conner he is usually very quiet. And it takes a lot of time and energy to separate."

Conner looked at his daughter, he had hoped that she would have warmed up to him but it seemed that she would need some encouragement. "You know you can call me 'dad' if you want."

Aurora landed back on solid ground, "I know, I just need some time."

Conner knew something else was bothering her and he walked towards her, "are you mad at me for some reason?"

Aurora shook her head her eyes tightly closed, tell him. her brother prompted. She had known that she would have to confront her feelings but she wasn't in the mood. Since his death she had retread into a cocoon keeping all her emotions locked behind a wall until it finally broke.

"OF COURSE I'M MAD AT YOU." She bellowed.

The whole cave fell silent at her outburst and turned their attention to her. Even Wolf woke up his ears raised and his attention focused on his Alpha's cub.

"Why are you mad? Did I do something wrong?" Conner asked in a soft voice.

"You broke your promise." She whispered as she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"I don't understand."

Aurora took a deep breath before she spoke, "For as long as I can remember, whenever you would go on a mission you and mom would get into a huge fight. Mom would ask you to stay while you would say that it was your duty and in the end she would cave in and ask you to be careful. Afterwards you would find me in my room and you would hold me and you would make me a promise. You would promise me that you would come back. And I knew you would because you never broke your promises." She paused as she felt the tears flow down her cheeks and swallowed the lump in her throat before she continued. "I never asked you to stay because I knew you would always come back. But on that last mission I asked you to stay. I literally begged you to stay and you told me not to worry that you would come back. But you didn't. You promised that you would come back but you didn't. The only time I asked you to stay and you didn't. Why did you…" Her voice failed her as she covered her face with her hands.

Conner saw the distress his daughter was going through and he stepped forward and took her in his arms. Aurora held onto her father and let the tears flow freely.

To say that Lilly and Zoe were surprised would be an understatement. Aurora never cried, even after she learnt of her father's death. She had lost her temper, destroyed a few buildings, broke a lot of bones but she didn't cry. They had never seen this side of her but were relieved that she was finally coming to terms with her loss.

"Who are you and what have you done with Rory?" Lilly asked her a mischievous smile on her face.

Aurora let out a strangled laugh and stepped back from her father's embrace, "I'm sorry dad, I know it's stupid to be mad at you. I was just…"

"It's okay, I understand." Conner interrupted. "You inherited my stubbornness."

Aurora smiled at that and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She turned to her mother," Hey mom. You look amazing."

M'gann's face split into a wide smile and she launched herself at her daughter. She felt a strange warmth in her heart as she hugged her. Her beautiful daughter that she made with Conner, La'gaan was not happy about that.

This display of affection is indeed whelming, nevertheless we need to get back to our mission. the whole team looked around confused as a male voice resonated in their heads.

"What was that?" Barbara asked.

"That was my brother, Achilles." Aurora explained.

"You named your son Achilles?" Wally earned another smack for that.

"Don't mind him M'gann, I like it." Cassie said giving Wally a dirty look.

"He sounds a lot like Conner." Garfield noted.

Aurora's eyes glowed blue as her brother spoke again Hello mother, father it is good to see you. Sister, we need to go.

"He has a wonderful personality." Wally said as he turned to Conner."He must get it from you."

Uncle Wallace, your humor as always is refreshing.

"Achilles is right. The more time we waste the more Xander accelerates his plans."

"I assume that Xander is Dark Matter's real name." Mal spoke up.

"Hey Conner, your brother is also called Xander isn't he?" Jaime asked turning to the clone.

"Yeah, Dark Matter is his nephew." Zoe confirmed.

"So how are you going to find him?" Zatanna asked.

Aurora smiled and exchanged sideway glances with Zoe and Lilly. "We have our own ways."

A/N

Another two chapters for your entertainment. Hope you check out my other story, until then enjoy.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
It had been eight years. Eight years since the day that changed everything. It was a day of pain, bloodshed, a day that changed all of them. But out of all of them he changed the most . His parents concerned for his well being had confined him to the fortress in the hopes that his grandfather could try and help him but to no avail.

His sister, his loving sister, pained by his imprisonment gave their parents an alternative; The Merge, a merge of their bodies but with her in control. It worked for a time until he seized control, she was after all weaker telepathically than he was, and did more damage than good. Father was not happy at that, not happy at all.

So he was taken back to his cage at the fortress. A slab of crystal that stood at the center of the structure, he could remember how mother had cried that day. Father was no exception but he was good at hiding emotions. That like so many other things they had in common.

They came by to see him. Father would visit least out of all of them, but he had other responsibilities. He did not hold it against him. Mother would come almost every day, but with a child to take care of and another sibling on the way the visits were sporadic at best. Still he loved her all the same and appreciated that she came with baby brother in tow.

His elder brother had his own family to take care of and would bring them for a visit whenever he could. He would always be indebted to him for that. Other league and team members came as well however they could only manage on special occasions.

But sister was the one who had some idea of what he was going through. Their natural mind link was strong enough that they could communicate, even with the barriers set in place just in case he tried to control someone into freeing him. She would come every day, sit in front of the crystal that encased him and keep him company. She would tell him all her secrets, all her fears, her remorse for not being able to save him. Before she left she would sing to him the lullabies that mother used to sing to them when they were little, a good thing she had inherited mother's voice as well. In the end she would leave with a promise of returning the next day.

The one thing he hated about the visits was the look on their faces. Mother would cry whenever it came time to leave, father seemed indifferent, the other league members would be plagued with guilt. Sister had a different reaction, like him and father she hid her emotions well even through their link. Still he knew that she cried every night, she would smile around him but he still knew what she was going through.

Six years he was encased in crystal, unmoving, the Fortress's AI creating a virtual world so that he wouldn't get bored. After six years and all of the knowledge of the fortress archived in his massive brain, the only thing he looked forward to was his sister's visits. Then their father died. He nearly brought the fortress down in his attempt to go home. It was lucky Kal-el was there to calm him. Afterwards sister convinced mother that the merge was the only way for them to mourn as a family. That she was strong enough to hold him back this time. It was only after brother's disappearance that she agreed, on condition that she remains in control all the time. After all those years of imprisonment he really didn't care who was in control.

So many things had changed in those six years. Sister and Zoe were together, he couldn't say he was surprised. Lilly had grown, indeed she had and so had Callie. The best thing was that he finally got to meet his little sister. Mother had brought her to visit after her birth but it wasn't the same.

After the jump, sister was knocked out, fatigue and stress from the spell taking a toll on both her body and her mind. Sister was right about one thing, she had gotten stronger. It took all of his will to camouflage them and move them to the edge of the beach, though that was not his intended destination. He must have lost consciousness as well because the next time he became aware of his surroundings they were at the forest surrounding the cave. "**We need to rest" **He told her, they were susceptible to magic after all, stubborn as always she refused to rest and insisted on saving their friends.

He knew that things were deteriorating when he heard father's voice. His bond with sister was strong enough that he knew she would go to him even though he expressed his concern. When she prepared for the fight against the league, he felt her push him into the darkness. He retreated quietly, knowing full well that she didn't need any distractions. Not that he liked it.

He remained in darkness until he felt her sadness. She released him enough that he felt and saw her reaction to her father's death. He wished he had been there if only to comfort her. He remained beneath the surface, barely registering her talk with Aunt Zatanna. When she entered her room she whispered good night to him and locked him once again in darkness.

Later, he brought him to the surface so that he would take part in their discussion, however he hoped she would tell mother and father the truth behind their merge. Sister on the other hand thought it premature. He didn't argue with her assessment, truth be told he was in no hurry for them to know.

He was happy when she finally grieved for their father and made sure she knew he appreciated it when she gave him enough freedom to feel father's embrace. However, his patience waning, he made sure they remembered the urgency of their mission. In truth he was itching for a fight, sister would try to push him back but she would need his cooperation to battle Alexander. After eight years of doing nothing, he was really looking forward to it.

He felt her reach out for him, going after the wishes of her mother and her better judgment relinquishing some control so that he could take in his surroundings. He could feel a tingle in his, or rather her hand and he flexed it feeling the bones move under their skin. He blinked as his sister finally brought him completely to the surface and relinquished full control over to him.

* * *

Aurora had left the cave alone. The team had wanted to accompany her but they had all refused insisting she was in no immediate danger and that it would be better if she was alone. She had flown in silence, her brother's consciousness tucked away in the back of their mind. She was deep in thought, her mind going through all the events that had transpired. The team was much different than they were in their time. They were happier, though it was odd to see the walking fish and her mother together. She had however noticed that they seemed to be fighting evidenced by the distance they kept from each other and La'gaan never even contributed to the team's interrogation of what their future was like. She had nothing against him, he and dad were friends sort of, but she was happy her arrival had caused them to have an argument.

She flew on, at top speed, until she left the skyscrapers of Metropolis behind and entered the large fields of Smallville. She came to a small hillock and landed as she surveyed her surroundings. It was beautiful. The sun was high in the sky and it lit up the area perfectly. The hill was surrounded by a field of green grass and wild flowers. There were a few tress scattered about swaying in the wind. The wind kicked up the smell of the flowers and she took in a deep breath. Her eyes wandered and fell on a stream flowing smoothly, clear as crystal. Crystal, the word dredged up memories of her brother encased in the substance. He had spent half his life in captivity. He deserved better. Mother had warned her that she needed to be in full control to prevent him from usurping her. She knew the risks but he was still her brother. So as carefully as she could, she brought him to the forefront of their mind and retreated back allowing him some control.

**"Mother advised against this course of action."** He said flexing the fingers of their hand.

**"Yes, but after six years I want you to experience as much as possible. You deserve more, but it's the only thing I can manage. Plus I trust you."**

"I thought Bruce taught you to trust no one."

**"I didn't say I trusted you completely. She retreated further and gave him full control of their body. Go on, try it out."**

"Are you sure?" Achilles asked.

**"Yes."**

At her confirmation he morphed their body to reflect his physical appearance and took to the air. He went straight up, a feeling of euphoria replacing his usual pensive mood as the wind whipped his face and the earth fell away from them. He stopped when he reached the clouds and he could see for miles around him. "Do you remember this game sister?" He asked aloud.

**"Yes, but we should go higher don't you think?"**

"We have a mission to complete sister. It would be wise if we don't lose sight of our true objectives." He replied smiling.

**"Fine, just get it over with and would you please stop calling me sister."** her thoughts betraying a hint of annoyance.

Achilles smile grew wide at her statement and he closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath and with his arms outstretched he leaned back and let them fall. His eyes remained closed for a few more seconds savoring the sensation before he turned in mid air and tucked his arms to his sides. He opened his eyes to pinpoint a proper landing point and accelerated towards the ground. His increasing heartbeat drowned out the noise of the wind and he felt Aurora laughing in his head. The ground came closer and closer until with a loud boom they hit the ground creating a large crater and causing dust and rock to fly everywhere. They lay there for awhile laughing as they tried to catch their breath. "I had missed that."

**"I can only imagine."**

Achilles sat up, his mood somber "We need to talk about it sister."

She feigned ignorance, "**Talk about what?"**

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." He whispered before he switched to their mind link.** "I know father's death was upsetting but how could you go to her for help?"**

**"She is our aunt. We lost a father, she lost her brother. I just wanted someone to talk to."**

**"So it's just a coincidence that a day after you met, her son escaped and a week later he jumps back in time?"** He made sure she could feel his misgivings.

**"I didn't know she was going to send him back here I don't even know what he's after.** He remained silent a hint of disbelief still lingering in his thoughts. **I didn't know, ok? That is the truth."**

**"Fine, then we should get going before Alexander completes his mission."**

**"You would willingly hand over control to me?"** She asked surprised.

He shrank back into the darkness and relinquished control to her. **"Indeed sister, Xavier is still missing. Plus we both know that you will need me when we finally confront Alexander Luthor III."**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
Smallville, Kansas

It was a few minutes past noon when Aurora reached her destination. Achilles had shrunk back into his cocoon the walls of his mind raised just enough that his emotions and thoughts didn't filter through but he was still aware of what was going on. It was a two storey house on the outskirts of Smallville.

It was beautiful at one point but the elements had not been kind. The paint was peeling and the lawn was overgrown with weeds giving the impression that no one had lived there in a while. That was not the case as Aurora could make out movement inside. She walked up to the front door and knocked lightly. After a few seconds the door opened and a young girl grinned up at her. She was a little tall for her age with long blonde hair that fell up to her waist and beautiful light blue eyes. "So where's the pizza?"

Aurora smiled at her," I'm sorry I don't do deliveries."

"Okay so you must be here to see my mom, she isn't here right now. Maybe you can leave a message?" She asked.

"Actually I came to see you Allison, or should I call you Cyber."

The girl's smile disappeared as she stepped back from the door. "What do you want?"

"I'm not the first person to call you that I'm I?" Aurora asked.

"No."

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. My name is Aurora but my friends call me Rory. Can I come in? It is very important." She reassured the young girl and smiled when she seemed to relax.

Allison nodded and granted her access into the house. Aurora stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "Let's go to my room." She said inclining her head upstairs. Aurora nodded and followed her quietly to her bedroom. "So what do you want?" She asked as she sat on the bed.

"The guy that came to see you, he asked you to do something for him. I need to know what." Aurora asked as she leaned on the door jamb and looked around the room. The walls were painted a bright green and had numerous posters pinned on them. There was a desk in the corner with numerous computers and in the other corner the bed took up most of the space.

"He wanted me to hack into a company called Entrocorp and find information on something called 'the spark'."

"Can you access the information that you provided for him?"

"Sure." Allison stood up and went over to the desk. She sat down and brought her computers to life.

Aurora walked over to one of the walls containing numerous pictures and newspaper cutouts. The words "wall of weird" were written at the top. "This was your mom's, right?" she asked pointing at the collage.

Allison looked at the wall and her face fell. "Yeah, she made it when she was in high school."

"How long has she been sick?" Aurora asked as she saw the look on the young girl's face.

"About eight months."

"I know that things are bad right now, but they'll get better. Trust me."

Allison turned to her, "you came from the future didn't you?"

Aurora nodded, "yes, I assume Xander told you about that didn't he?"

"Yeah, he said that he wouldn't hurt me because I am essential to his existence. He told me that the future still needs me and that you would come to ask for my help."

"I thought as much. So have you accessed the data?" Aurora asked as she stood behind her.

Allison typed on the computer for a few seconds, "got it, all the data that I found on the company from personnel records to all projects in development. He seemed to be particularly interested in a scientist named Carson Richmond who is the lead scientist on Project Nova."

Aurora handed her a thumb drive, "upload all data to this drive then erase all traces of the data from your computer."

Allison plugged in the drive and typed on the keyboard and after a few seconds she handed the drive back to her. "All the data I accessed is on the drive and I erased it from my computers."

"I know you have stashed the data using your shadow program. But the drive contains a hidden program you wrote that makes it impossible for you to access the same type of data using your computer." Aurora said as she took the drive from the girl.

"Sorry, force of habit. I just wanted to know why the data is so important. Plus I like to keep trophies" Allison replied with a sheepish grin.

"Doesn't matter, you won't remember any of this." Aurora replied as her eyes glowed blue.

"Since I won't remember any of this, can I ask you a question?" Allison asked as she turned off her computer and turned to face her. "Who I'm I? In the future that is."

Aurora smiled, "you are a hero and the best aunt a girl could ask for." Allison nodded and her eyes glowed blue as Aurora removed all traces of Xander and herself from the girls mind. Aurora then laid the now unconscious girl on her bed and left for the cave.

* * *

Nightwing was in trouble. He had challenged his daughter to a spar and the two were more evenly matched than he had thought.

Zoe on the other hand was enjoying herself. She was dressed in her combat suit, her father's old body armor with her own eskrima sticks in her hands. They were in the training room the team, with large boxes of pizza in front of them, watching father and daughter tried to get the best of each other.

Richard tried every move he knew but Zoe seemed to predict them and blocked each and every one of his moves. They had been sparring for over forty minutes before they decided to call it quits. "You know all of my moves inside and out, which means I must have trained you."

"Actually you trained all of us." Lilly said as she finished her third box of pepperoni and cheese.

"You don't have individual mentors?" Karen asked confused.

"We do, however our training is different."

"What exactly does your training involve?" Richard asked his daughter.

"Well, it normally starts when we are eight."

"WHAT?" several voices chorused.

"Why so early?" M'gann asked.

"You did notice that your kids are extremely powerful." Lilly said turning to the Martian.

"They are not the only ones. Most of us are so powerful that without proper training we could cause a lot of destruction." Zoe added.

"Not to mention there are a lot of people who would hurt us to get to you. Anyway, we start with combat training from Kon-el."

"Superboy is your combat trainer?"Garfield asked.

"An encyclopedic knowledge of every fighting technique on earth including some alien techniques combined with seven years training from Black Canary made him the best choice." Lilly said.

"Robin, Nightwing and Artemis are responsible for weapons training. Barbara and Cyber teach us basic computer and hacking skills." Zoe explained.

"Then after four years, if we so choose it, we join the team and receive further training from our mentors."

"So who are your mentors?" Conner asked.

"My mentor is Grandpa Ollie." Lilly replied.

"And dad is my current mentor." Zoe added.

"I thought Zatanna would have been your mentor." Richard mused.

"She was, she's the one who taught me how to cast non-verbal spells and most of my magic. She and Nabu also prepared me to be the next Fate but after Zahara exhibited stronger powers than me you took her as your protégé and dad became my mentor."

"What about Aurora and her brother?" M'gann asked the two girls.

"Achilles doesn't have a mentor and Rory is Grandpa Bruce's protégé." Zoe said.

Nightwing was surprised by the revelation, "how come?"

"Rory didn't always have her powers. They were slow to develop and then something happened that really affected her. Kal-el asked Bruce to take her on and although he was hesitant at first he agreed after she convinced him to do it." Zoe hoped they wouldn't ask what happened and breathed a sigh of relief when Batman's voice echoed around the cave.

"Team report to the briefing room."

They found the dark knight standing next to Canary both watching Aurora as she typed away at the holoscreen.

"Hey, when did you get back?" Lilly asked the hybrid.

"I just got in a few seconds after Bruce and Canary." Aurora spoke her eyes never leaving the screen in front of her.

"Batman what is the situation." Nightwing stepped forwards to stand beside his former mentor.

"It seems we have found the villain called Dark Matter. Aurora if you will." Batman crossed his arms over his chest and turned his attention to the holoscreens that appeared displaying large amounts of data.

"This is Dr. Carson Richmond." She started pointing to a photo on one of the screens. "He works at Entrocorp in their RnD department and is the lead scientist working on Project Nova. The project aims to create unlimited, sustainable and clean energy. Currently, they have created a prototype that they have named 'the spark' a device that can release vast amounts of energy and that is Dark Matter's target."

"How do you know that that is what he is after?" Dinah asked.

"Before our jump, I downloaded all data concerning this time. According to that data, Carson was killed in an explosion that destroyed the research facility. The date today matches with the date of the explosion. All the data on the project and the prototype were destroyed and the project was scraped. That is what he came to get."

"So what is Dark Matter capable of?" Batman asked.

"He has super strength, endurance, some level of invulnerability and the ability to generate and manipulate energy." Zoe answered.

"He is also an expert in hand to hand combat and is very, very smart. However that won't help you much because you are not going to engage him." Aurora said.

"What do you mean we won't engage him?" Conner asked stepping forward.

"You may join us on the mission, there is no way we can stop you from doing that. But you will only concentrate on evacuating the personnel before the whole place goes up. We will take care of Dark Matter. We've fought him before and he won't be much of a problem for the three of us. Still, in case he is not alone, we might require your help but that is the only time that you should interfere."

"We can help with more than evacuation." La'gaan spoke up. He had been unusually silent since the three girls appeared but he wanted in on the action.

Aurora turned to the Lagoon Boy and gave him a kind smile. After all he was her best friend's father. "I know what you are capable of. Trust me when I say that you have not even reached you true potential as a team and as individuals. We don't want you to fight because we function better without outside interference. You have never encountered him before, you don't know his full capabilities if you fight him you will only get in our way."

The team looked at each other obviously having a psychic conversation. Aurora waited patiently, giving them a little privacy before Nightwing spoke on their behalf. "Fine, but should you encounter more than one hostile then we will be obligated to interfere."

"You are our children after all." Wally added.

"Fine, our destination is the Australian outback. That is where their research facility is located." Aurora morphed her bioclothing into a body suit similar to her mother's the only difference being the S-shield on her chest. Zoe lifted her hand and Lilly's civilian clothes were replaced with her costume. She reached into her pouch and removed the archer's bow and a quiver full of arrows.

"How can all that fit in there?" Wally asked the young magician.

"It's enchanted. Mum taught me a spell to increase its capacity without increasing its size."

"We should all get ready and meet in the bio-ship in ten minutes." Nightwing said.

* * *

In the Australian outback, a beautiful woman watched as the sun set over the horizon. "Don't you just love the dark?" She asked turning to a man who was hidden in the shadows.

"Yes, but we need to move quickly if our plans are to succeed." He replied. "Remember, our objective is the device. We kill only when necessary and no matter what we will not hurt innocents, understood?"

"Understood, we are protectors not killers."

The hulking form rippled as the vast energy in his body seeped into the air, "Good. Contact Puppeteer, it's time."

A/N  
Thanks to all those who have read and reviewed. Next two chapters the team goes up against Dark matter and they lose a member. Just to clarify, Achilles is only aware of what is going on when Aurora allows him to. So when she and Zoe are having fun he is not in the mix, that would just be wrong. Also, I fixed the other previous chapters, the dialogue in bold represents the mind link. I had written a chapter on La'gaan's reaction to Aurora, but I didn't like how it turned out. However, I am still writing it and it should be up soon. Till then Enjoy.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Darkmatter will be in the main testing lab on the eastern side of the facility 200 meters below the earth's surface. Witch, Quickshot and I will be on point and will take care of him without interference from anyone. Miss Martian, Rocket and Batgirl will head toward the control room on the lower level of the facility and retrieve any and all data concerning Entrocorp. They will be designated Beta. There are three safe areas designed to protect the personnel in case of fire or other disasters. Artemis, Superboy, Robin and Beast boy will be designated Gamma. You will head to the safe zone on the southern side of the facility. Nightwing, Kid Flash, Wondergirl and Lagoon boy will be Delta. You will take the northern safe zone. Kaldur, Zatanna, Blue Beetle and Bumblebee will head to the western safe zone and will be designated Sigma. The alarms to the facility were tripped half an hour ago so there will be fatalities designed to slow us down. You will need to evacuate as many people as possible before the whole place becomes a giant crater. The schematics to the place have been uploaded to the bat's computers and Beetle's suit. Be careful and if you meet resistance of any kind call us immediately. Understood?" Aurora asked getting into battle-mode.

They were in the bioship flying over the Australian desert a few minutes from Entrocorp. She didn't like bringing the Team along but they did need backup.

"If the alarms went off, why didn't the scientists evacuate?" Garfield asked.

"Darkmatter is smart. He will lock them in the one place they can't escape easily so that we will be too busy trying to rescue them to stop him before the bomb goes off." Zoe answered as she twirled he eskrima sticks in her hands.

"You won't be using magic?" Zatanna turned to her daughter.

"Magic is fun, but I prefer a more hands on approach." Zoe smiled as Aurora and Lilly nodded their heads. They did like to get physical with their targets; it was a good stress reliever.

"We have reached our destination." M'gann announced as she lowered the bioship to the ground.

"Good, M'gann link us up." Nightwing stood up and headed to the back of the ship.

"Actually, it would be better if I established the link." Aurora said turning to face her mother.

Zoe and Lilly turned to look at their friend, their faces displaying their disapproval of the idea. "That isn't such a good idea." Zoe trusted Aurora but she was worried about Achilles taking advantage of the situation.

"I am stronger telepathically than MM and my link has an emotional anchor preventing psychic intrusion." Aurora understood their concerns, but she knew her brother wanted to help. M'gann gave a small nod and Aurora closed her eyes concentrating on establishing the link. **"Link is established."**

The team was overwhelmed when Aurora established the mind-link. M'gann's link was subtle, a feeling in the back of your mind. Aurora's link on the other hand was almost tangible, linking their minds so tightly that it functioned as one. Nightwing rubbed his head at the uncomfortable sensation and was about to say "move out" when the entire group stood up and rallied at his side.

They reached the entrance of the facility and were shocked by the sight that greeted them. Papers and broken pieces of furniture were strewn everywhere. Most of the windows were broken and the walls had holes punched into them. However, what shocked them was the blood. There was blood everywhere, on the walls, the floor and even the ceiling was covered with blood. There were bodies strewn everywhere, unwilling donors to the liquid that covered the walls.

**"Why would he kill so many?"** M'gann asked, clearly disturbed by the carnage before her.

Aurora was about to respond when they were interrupted by a weak cough. They moved towards the sound of the noise and saw a woman with a large piece of glass protruding from her stomach. Zoe and Lilly moved forward to help them but were stopped by Aurora. **"Witch, Quickshot stand down."**

**"Rory, she needs our help."** Lilly said turning to her friend.

**"No she doesn't. She isn't part of the mission."** Aurora's thoughts betrayed no emotions as she looked at the injured scientist.

**"How could you say that?"** M'gann asked her eyes wide with horror that her own daughter would be so cold.

**"Our purpose is to save lives, regardless of the mission"** Nightwing said his thoughts laced with anger.

**"This facility has 528 personnel. According to the records, 131 people died during the explosion. One of the names on that list is Dr. Martha Grey."** Aurora pointed to the woman bleeding on the floor.

**"We can't change the past."** Zoe said casting her eyes on the floor.

**"Sorry, but we can't stand idly by while someone is suffering**." Artemis said as the team stepped forward. The three girls however blocked their path, Lilly raising her bow the arrow aimed at their parents.

"Pots." Zoe said her hands raised in front of her causing the Team to stop in their tracks.

"What do you think you are doing?" Zatanna asked aloud.

"We can't change the past. Saving her life will have serious consequences." Lilly said, her arrow aimed directly at her mother.

**"This is getting us nowhere."** Achilles spoke up. He was ready for some action and they were wasting time talking**. "The scientist has sustained serious injuries. She will not last long. Instead of arguing about it would be wise to spend our energy on finding Alexander."**

"Achilles is right. Trust me there is no person who hates me more than I hate myself right now but we can't save her." Aurora walked over to the woman and knelt by her side. She took one of her hands and removed a few strands of hair from her face. "Your death won't be meaningless. Your daughter will go on to become one of the best scientists in the world and her inventions will help millions. I'm so sorry that we could not save you." Martha blinked back her tears and Aurora opened her mind to the woman showing her the future that she would never be a part of. She closed her mind just in time to see the small smile tugging at the scientist's lips before her hand went slack and she took her last breath.

There was silence after Martha's death broken by an angry Nightwing, "We could have saved her. We have medical equipment in the bioship; we could have patched her up."

"No, she was hanging on by a thread. She would have died anyway." Zoe said calmly.

"WE COULD HAVE ATLEAST TRIED." Conner bellowed turning to his daughter.

Aurora, who had not been able to tear her eyes away from Martha's unmoving form stood up slowly and turned towards the junior Justice League. "Do you think that I enjoyed watching her die? That I wanted to rob a little girl and her brother of a parent just like I was. I hate myself right now, but I had to make the call." Her voice was so low and so full of sorrow that the Team's anger subsided. **"We have wasted enough time. We need to get back to our mission."**

The Team looked at each other before they broke into their respective teams and headed to their designated areas. **"This will not end well"** Achilles said as they headed towards Darkmatter and hopefully their brother.

A/N  
So sorry for the small chapter and for the delay but my laptop and I were separated for some time and I wrote this to get me back in the game. Don't worry the fighting is about to start soon till then, enjoy.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"You know, you never told us your codename." Beastboy addressed Aurora through the mind link.

"I never did, did I? It's Helios." Aurora answered as they headed towards the lab.

"Helios, the personification of the sun in Greek mythology." Superboy thought his mind dredging up the information implanted by Cadmus.

"I hate it when he does that." Wally thought.

"That's because he sounds much smarter than you." Artemis teased him earning a laugh from Nightwing.

"We have reached the lab requesting silence unless it is important." Helios said as they reached the entrance to the lab. They had used the entrance to the walkways above the lab. It was a large circular room filled with computers and other equipment. In the center of the room there was a metallic desk with various files strewn on it. There was a chair next to the desk and seated on the chair, his hands on the table fingers interlaced and his eyes closed was Alexander a.k.a Darkmatter.

**"What do you think he's doing?"**

Aurora turned to the archer/speedster with an annoyed look on her face, **"maybe he's waiting for the bus. What do you think he's doing?" **

They were crouched on the high walkways over the main testing lab, hidden in the shadows. "**He's waiting for us." **Zoe said turning to her companions.

**"No, he already knows we are here."** Helios corrected. **"Lilly three by three, Zoe maneuver 12."**

The two youths nodded before Zoe and Aurora jumped over the railing and landed on the floor in front of the table. "Helios, Nightwitch, Quickshot how nice of you to join us." Xander said as he stood up. He was dressed in his usual all white suit a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He opened his soft blue eyes and looked at each one of them. His jet black hair was standing on end giving the impression that he was being electrocuted.

"Where is my brother Xander?" Aurora asked her voice hard. She couldn't sense him in the room and someone or something was blocking her from sensing any other psychic signatures apart from those that she had already established.

"No hello for your cousin?" Xander asked spreading his hands.

"You don't want to make me mad Luthor."Aurora growled clenching her fists.

"I am no fool cousin. I know better than to make a krypto-martian angry." Darkmatter said as he straightened his tie. "Your brother never left the future."

Aurora's eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger. "Where is he Luthor?" She asked taking a step forward.

"Let's just say he is enjoying an extended visit with his wonderful aunt." Darkmatter said his smile growing wider.

**"Enough of this, attack now!"** Aurora growled through the mind link and three arrows hit Darkmatter's chest almost simultaneously. The arrows exploded half a second later causing Xander to stagger backwards his eyes stinging from the smoke. Before the smoke cleared, Zoe jumped over the table and landed a kick in his jaw before turning around in the air and kicking him in the stomach. Three more exploding arrows hit his chest and the force of the explosions knocked him off his feet. He landed on the floor hard and the air left his lungs. He lay on the floor stunned before Aurora grabbed one of his legs and spun him around before smashing him into one of the walls.

Xander stood up shakily and leaned on the wall he had just smashed into. The three heroes had ceased their attack and Aurora and Zoe stood next to each other while Lilly kneeled on the platform high above, an arrow aimed at the villain. "You're holding back." Zoe stated. He should have been more of a challenge, but they defeated him too easily.

Xander shrugged, "maybe I just want you to hurry before the bomb goes off." He said nonchalantly.

"Is that why you trapped those innocent people in the lab? I thought you never killed the innocent. If that bomb goes off, they will all die." Aurora told him.

"We only killed those that were supposed to die, the rest we set free."

The teen's faces mimicked that of a gaping fish as they digested this new revelation. "You lie, the sensors detected 397 heat signatures in the various safe zones." Zoe said.

"Yes, why would I lie to you? We left them unconscious three hundred miles from here but don't worry about them, they are not going anywhere." Xander said removing his jacket and folding it neatly.

"Rory can you sense anything?" Zoe asked through the link.

"No, someone's blocking me." Aurora replied.

"That is impossible. I mean who has the juice to block your telepathy?"

"And, if the scientists were freed, who did we send our parents to rescue?" Lilly added.

* * *

"Robin, are we headed the right way?" Conner asked the young robin as they walked through the blood soaked hallways of the facility. Every now and then they would come across a dead body lying in their path with various lethal injuries. They had not found any other survivors and Conner hoped that the rest of the scientists would be alive.

"Yes, according to the blueprints Zoe uploaded we are on the right track." Robin said consulting his handheld computer.

"I can't believe I'm a mom." Artemis said.

"With Wally as the father I had doubts for the kid's future." Conner teased and Artemis hit his hand playfully.

"I'm going to be an uncle." Garfield said enthusiastically, "I always knew that you and sis would end up together." He added turning into a parrot and perching on the clone's shoulder. Conner however remained silent, lost deep in thought. "What's wrong Conner?"

Conner snapped out of his reverie and stopped, "I was just thinking, what kind of life we are going to provide for them. I mean, when M'gann and I talked about having kids we both agreed that we could keep them away from this life. But now, they are more like soldiers than kids. I'm just disappointed that I wasn't a better father."

"I know what you mean, at least they appear strong enough to protect themselves." Artemis said as they resumed walking.

"We have reached the safe zone." Tim declared as they reached a large steel door. Conner stepped forward and forced his fingers in the crack between the door and the wall. Getting a good grip he used his strength to force the door open. They stepped in and froze in their tracks.

"Not who you expected I know but trust me I am so much better." The figure standing in front of them said in a seductive voice.

* * *

"So M'gann, how did La'gaan take it when he realised that you and Conner would end up together?" Barbara asked as the three headed to the control room.

"He broke up with me, said that it made no sense to date when I would end up with Conner." M'gann replied.

"Don't know how he didn't see that sooner, it's not like you and Conner are good at hiding your feelings for each other." Raquel said giving the Martian a wink.

"So will you and Conner get back together?" Barbara asked looking at her hand held confirming they were headed in the right direction.

M'gann bit her lip unsure herself of what would happen between her and Conner. "I don't know if that will happen anytime soon. Conner still hasn't forgiven me for what I did to him."

"I'm sure he'll get over it eventually." Raquel said comfortingly.

"I hope so."

They entered the control room and headed for the massive computer in the middle of the room. It was a large circular room, the computer core forming a pillar in the centre of the room. Batgirl connected her hand held to the computer. "There's nothing here." She said after a few minutes of typing.

"What do you mean?" M'gann asked.

"There is no data in the archives. It has all been deleted." Batgirl said as she continued typing.

"Well of course it's deleted, we wouldn't want you to read something you shouldn't." A cool female voice said as the owner stepped into the room.

* * *

"I always knew I would make a good parent." Wally said for about the hundredth time since they had separated from the others.

"Yes Wally, we know." Richard said exasperated.

"Conner and M'gann, Wally and Artemis, you and Zatanna, I wonder who I will end up with." Cassie said as she moved a metal beam from their path.

"I always thought that Jaime has a thing for you." Wally said stepping over yet another dead body.

"I think he may have some competition since Tim also seems to be interested." Richard added causing Cassie to blush.

"What about you La'gaan?" she asked turning to the Atlantean.

"Well I thought that I would spend the rest of my life with my angel… with M'gann but now it seems that was just me being stupid." La'gaan said his voice bitter. "I can't believe she would choose him. I mean he almost killed me."

Cassie sympathized with him. She had had a crush on Conner but after seeing how he looked at the Martian, she knew she stood no chance. She was surprised however that La'gaan hadn't noticed that the two still had feelings for each other. "Maybe it's for the best."

La'gaan shrugged and walked ahead of the group. They reached a large metallic door that blocked their path. "This is it…" Nightwing started to say but with a roar La'gaan blew up his body, his tattoos glowing and ripped it off its hinges. "You didn't have to make so much noise."

La'gaan ignored him and stepped into the room. The rest of Delta team entered after him and stopped staring around in confusion.

"Are you sure you are reading that thing correctly?" Wally asked the former Robin.

"Yeah, the sensors indicate that there are 121 people locked in here."

"Then where are they?" Cassie asked as they surveyed the empty room.

A/N  
I apologize for the late update but I couldn't get as much free time as I had hoped. Anyway, another chapter will be up tomorrow. Read, enjoy, review.

Disclaimer: I own neither Young Justice nor any of it's characters, only my OCs.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**"Helios, we have a problem."** Conner's voice floated across the mind link.

**"What is it Superboy?"**

**"The room is empty and there was someone waiting for us."** Artemis said.

**"There was also someone waiting for us at the control room. They deleted all the data in the archives before we got here."** Barbara added.

**"Nightwing here, our safe zone is empty. No hostiles on site."**

**"Same here."** Zatanna joined in.

**"It's a trap. Darkmatter must have come with backup from the future. The question now is who did he bring with him?"** Helios thought concentrating on the team's visual memories of the two hostiles and distributing it to the others across the link. The first was a teenage girl about 18 years of age. She had green eyes and brown hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a black leather jacket over a black and red sports bra and blue jeans with black high heeled ankle boots. The other was a 26 year old woman with blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore a black t-shirt with black leather pants and high heels.

**"Legion and Weaver."** Zoe said her anger spiking.

**"Who are they?"** Nightwing asked.

**"Magician and telepath, we need to retreat now."** Helios said. **"All teams rendezvous at the bioship. Do not engage just move, NOW!"**

She turned to Darkmatter who had removed his coat and tie and placed them on the back of a chair. He reached behind his back and removed two black combat knives from the sheathes on his back. They were 8 inches long and 21/2 inches wide with both straight edge and a serrated edge.

**"Quickshot, Nightwitch, you need to go as well."** Helios instructed her eyes fixed on Darkmatter.

**"You sure?"** Nightwitch asked her thoughts betraying her concern.

**"Yeah, the team needs you more than I do."** She glanced at the magician and saw the doubt in her eyes. **"Don't worry, we can take him. Isn't that right brother?"**

**"Indeed sister."** Achilles affirmed.

Quickshot let loose an exploding arrow that once again found its mark exploding on Darkmatter's chest. The archer and the magician used the distraction to slip away.

Helios watched her friends disappear before turning to face Darkmatter. They watched each other for a second before they launched themselves at each other.

* * *

**"Guys, what's your progress?"** Zoe asked as she tried to keep up with Quickshot.

**"We've almost reached the exit but we have a problem."** Nightwing replied.

Quickshot took Nightwitch in her arms and sped through the hallways until they reached the main conference hall on the topmost floor. Like most of the facility, it was a large circular room with three exits and was the room nearest the main exit. They screeched to a halt in front of the team who stood in various battle stances, their eyes fixed on the door to freedom. Silently, they turned to see the "problem" that Nightwing was talking about. Standing in their path, with gleaming katanas in their hands, were seven figures dressed in ninja outfits. **"I should have known she wouldn't have come alone."** Nightwitch stated.

**"Who are these guys?"** Kid flash asked.

**"The seven dwarves, servants and minions to Puppeteer."**

**"Yeah but they are not the ones we should be worried about."** Quickshot said as rock golems started to sprout from the ground.

"What the hell are those?" Artemis asked tightening her grip on her bow.

"Those are my babies. Why do you think they also call me Legion?" A voice spoke as Legion, Weaver and a man dressed in blue denim overalls, a green t-shirt work boots and a baseball cap appeared out of thin air behind them.

They were surrounded on all sides, their escape blocked by the rock golems and the "ninjas" and behind them the three newcomers forced them to the center of the room.

**"We are sitting ducks out in the open."** Nightwing stated.

**"Don't worry we have a plan."** Lilly said.

**"And what exactly is the plan?"** Cassie asked her eyes darting around the room.

Before Nightwitch or Quickshot could reply Darkmatter crashed through the wall and landed a few feet from his allies. Helios followed him through the hole in the wall and landed next to the team who stood back to back in the middle of the room.

**"Nice of you to join us fearless leader."** Quickshot stated giving a small smile to the new arrival.

Helios didn't respond her eyes locked on a particular telepath on the other side of the room, "Weaver." Her voice was low laced with hatred.

"Aaaah, hello clone." The villainess said with a smirk, causing Helios to let loose a small growl that made the telepath and her friends to take a step back.

**"Helios calm down, we need a plan."** Nightwitch could feel the immense anger and hatred that emanated from the girl but they had to work together if they wanted to win this fight.

**"Fine, Puppeteer/Legion can create animated anthropomorphic beings from the rock around her. The rock golems require sufficient force to destroy them but once they are destroyed she can't reanimate them because her magical aura has contaminated the rock."** Helios kept her anger in check and tried to assess the situation.

**"Well that sounds like good news."** Kid flash thought optimistically.

**"Only problem is that we are surrounded by more rock that she can use to create her 'babies', we will be overrun in minutes."** Quickshot replied.

Helios saw the villains getting restless and decided to buy some time. "I thought the Brotherhood was supposed to protect the innocent and punish the guilty yet you team up with Legion and Weaver knowing full well the crimes they have committed."

**"What are you doing?"** La'gaan asked slightly irritated.

**"Trying to buy us some time while we strategize."** Helios replied.

"I know that they have done terrible things but they are necessary for the success of the mission." Darkmatter stated.

"So that is how you justify yourself? Then you are no better than they are."

Darkmatter opened his mouth to reply but Helios was not paying attention. **"The golems require some force to destroy so Superboy, Lagoon boy, Blue Beetle, Wondergirl, Miss Martian, Beastboy and Aqualad will keep their numbers from going out of control. Batgirl, Robin, Artemis and Kid flash will handle the seven dwarves."**

**"Seven dwarves, couldn't they have come up with better names."** Kid flash thought sarcastically.

**"Legion named them but that is beside the point. They are highly skilled with those katanas so don't underestimate them. Zatanna and Nightwitch will take down Legion while Quickshot will fight Darkmatter. Nightwing and Rocket will take care of Henchman. I will deal with Weaver personally."**

**"I assume Henchman is the guy with the baseball cap."** Rocket stated.

**"What are his abilities?"** Nightwing asked.

**"He has super strength and is a good street fighter."** Helios stated. It was only after she finished that they realised that Darkmatter had stopped speaking.

"Have you finished strategizing?" Darkmatter asked.

"As a matter of fact, we have. Team, attack."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

On her say so the heroes went after their respective targets and started to fight with everything they had. Superboy, Wondergirl and Lagoon boy used their strength to destroy as many golems as they could while Beastboy, who had turned into a gorilla, helped Beetle and Aqualad to turn them into rubble. Miss Martian used her telekinesis to smash even more golems than the others combined. Their efforts however were being hindered by the fact that even more rock creatures were sprouting from the ground and others were matching in from outside.

Batgirl, Robin, Artemis and KF were having more luck having encased 5 of the "dwarves" in foam and quickly dispatching the other two. They then went on to help deal with the golems that despite the best efforts of Superboy and his group were slowly gaining the upper hand.

Zatanna and Nightwitch were currently locked in battle with Legion, firing spell after spell at the magician who countered with her own. They were at a sort of a stalemate none getting the upper hand over the other.

Quickshot was literally running circles around Darkmatter punching and kicking him every chance she could get or just using her arrows to keep him down. It seemed she was the only one who was winning in this fight.

Rocket had Henchman trapped in a purple force field and Nightwing joined the fight against the unrelenting golems.

All this excitement however was lost on Helios and Weaver who were locked in psychic battle. Or at least they were until Helios heard a familiar scream of pain. She hit Weaver with a psychic blast sending her flying and turned to find Quickshot lying on the ground. Her eyes searched for Darkmatter and her body tensed at what she saw. His shirt had been burned off revealing the blackened skin of his torso and part of his left arm and his entire right arm. The blackened part of his skin radiated energy as he unleashed his powers and his knives were covered with a black aura as he infused them with his black energy. Helios knew that energy was fatal, probably what took out Quickshot. Darkmatter smiled and released a burst of black energy that was aimed right at her she created a telekinetic shield in response but the force was too great and she was thrown backwards into a wall. Darkmatter charged his knives with as much energy as he could without destroying them and he threw one with all his might at his intended target. Helios was slightly disoriented and didn't see the blade however Superboy saw it and jumped in front of it just as it was about to hit Miss Martian in the back. Conner knew that he was indestructible but the blade reinforced and empowered with black energy broke his skin and drove itself into his stomach. Helios finally recovering from the earlier attack watched in shock as her father clutched his stomach and fell to his knees as blood seeped from his wound.

A/N  
Short chapter I know but more chapters are on the way. Till then read, enjoy, review.


	14. Chapter 14

Helios felt as if the world had stopped spinning. Just a few days ago she had been told that her father was dead and now she was watching the same thing happen. She watched as M'gann realised what had happened and took Conner in her arms. She shook her head and suppressed her emotions. She had a mission to complete after all. Her own mission. She threw Darkmatter back with a telekinetic blast and run to Superboy's side. Miss Martian was holding him in her lap as tears poured from her eyes. Helios grasped the knife and with a deep breath yanked the blade out of the boy of steel. Superboy let out a short gasp and he grit his teeth in pain. "Is he gonna be alright?" Miss Martian asked but Helios didn't reply instead pressing the palm of her hands on his wound. Some of the other team members realised what had happened and Artemis, Zatanna and Kid Flash who was helping Quickshot came over to the little group. Zatanna had a cut on her forehead and a bruise was forming on her cheek. Her clothes were also ripped in places and covered in dust. Artemis was holding her left arm that had a large gash. Quickshot was slowly coming to and she held her aching head.

**"I'm all out of arrows,"** Artemis said indicating her quiver that was conspicuously empty **"and even if I had any, I can't shoot straight with my arm busted."**

**"We are losing this fight."** Zatanna said her eyes locked on her teammate as blood poured from his wound. She had retreated and left her daughter fighting Legion who surprisingly was a very powerful, very talented magician and her attacks were useless against her.

Helios tried to tune them out and concentrated, her hands felt warm as a yellow glow emanated from them and Superboy's wound started to heal.

M'gann watched in awe as her daughter "healed" Conner but she also noticed said daughter hide something in her hand. She didn't spend a lot of time pondering over this instead her eyes locked with Conner's blue orbs.** "What did you do?"** She turned to her daughter.

Helios was about to answer when a blast of black energy hit her back causing her to clench her teeth as her body's pain receptors were sent into overdrive. The blast lasted for a few seconds but she could already feel her energy waning as she fell on all fours.

Quickshot who had recovered somewhat fired five arrows in quick succession, each arrow exploding on contact with Darkmatter sending him flying before he landed on the floor. **"Helios, you ok?"**

Helios grunted trying unsuccessfully to stand up. Her whole body was tingling and her head felt as if it was splitting in half. She was in pain, but she had gone through even greater pain. She stood up shakily and was about to go after Darkmatter when she saw the progress of the battle. There were even more golems than before. Debris was strewn everywhere and the other team members were being pushed backwards towards them. She was about to help when she fell down clutching her head as she felt the pain of her friend. She, Quickshot and Nightwitch had a strong psychic connection but her connection with Nightwitch was stronger. She closed her eyes tightly and opened them to find Nightwitch lying a few feet away, her body smoking from Darkmatter's attack. They were losing. She used her telekinesis to summon Nightwitch to her side. She was groggy but didn't seem to be seriously hurt. Helios tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and watched as her eyes fluttered open. **"Hey, were getting our asses kicked. Why don't you get up and show these guys what you can do."**

Nightwitch gave a small smile and sat up holding her head. She had been battling Legion and was gaining the upper hand when Darkmatter hit her from behind. **"Sorry H, I need time to recover from that attack."**

The rest of the team was pushed back until each of them stood back to back. **"Okay, so what do we do now?"** Nightwing asked out of breath as they formed a tight circle. The golems now numbered in the hundreds and kept on advancing while Legion was freeing her dwarves.

Darkmatter gave a small smirk as he lifted his hands. "This time Helios, we win." He released a blast of energy and Helios, now merged with Achilles, was almost too slow creating an electromagnetic shield around the heroes. The energy blast hit the shield and dissipated leaving the heroes unharmed.

The golems started to pound on the shield while Darkmatter sent blast after blast of energy. **"Rory, is that you?"** Beastboy asked his eyes wide.

**"Yeah, the shield is impregnable but I'm still weak from Darkmatter's attack. I won't be able to hold on for much longer."** They could hear the strain in her thoughts and Achilles who had quietly watched as the events unfolded finally spoke, **"Helios, you need my help."**

**"No, Rory don't do this."** Nightwitch pleaded but her voice was silenced as Achilles isolated both of their thoughts.

**"Sister, listen to me. You are weakening, we are more susceptible to the dark energy than most and eventually you will weaken to the point where the shield will fail."**

**"I can't let you go Achilles, it is not worth it. Darkmatter will not harm our parents."** Helios said as the strain of keeping the shield up and the attacks at bay continued to take a toll on her body.

**"That is true, but they will destroy us or worse do to us the same thing they did years ago. Think about it sister, your strength is waning and soon enough you will not have the strength to separate us."** Achilles pleaded knowing that time was running out for all of them.

Helios thought for a moment before she answered, **"I am ready for anything that they throw at us. I am not afraid of death."**

Achilles voice was sad when he spoke next, **"I know you are not but are you ready to put Lilly through the same thing that happened to us? Are you ready to watch Zoe suffer the same?"**

Helios knew he was right, there was no other way. "I'm sorry." She said to as she finally released the bonds that held their bodies together. Because of the Dark energy weakening her and the amount of energy it took to hold up the shield, the separation was painful. Helios felt as their bodies separated, bones and organs forming and splitting creating a new body. Finally the strain was too much and the shield collapsed.

The golems finding an opening were about to attack but were pushed away by a telekinetic blast. Darkmatter stopped his attack and watched in horror as after years of imprisonment Achilles Kent separated from his sister and stood up as Quickshot, Nightwitch, Weaver and Legion muttered in unison, "Oh crap!"


	15. Chapter 15

There are a lot of things that people take for granted, Freedom is one of them. After years of being trapped in crystal, unmoving, serving no purpose other than improving the décor, Achilles relished in his new found freedom. He surveyed the destruction before him. Most of the team members were fine while the injured were being healed by Zoe's magic. The golems filled the room while the dwarves now freed by their mistress stood protectively in front of Legion. Henchman who had a busted lip stood next to Weaver and Darkmatter stood in front of them all his eyes locked on the new addition. He flexed his fingers and felt as the skin stretched and relaxed. He then took in a deep breath and felt as the air, filled with smoke and dust, rushed into his lungs. He was free. Achilles let a small smile grace his features before he spoke, "I have waited for this for a long time. It's gonna be fun."

* * *

Helios was on all fours, her body aching from Darkmatter's assault and the separation from her brother. She held her head and tried to shake away the pain and grogginess. Her head was about to clear when a loud voice assaulted her already injured mind. **"What the hell did you do that for?"** Quickshot asked furiously.

**"Yeah Rory, you more than anyone know what he is capable of."** Nightwitch added her voice soft to prevent the teen further pain.

**"I know."** Helios said as she tried to stand up only to fall back to the ground. "I had no choice." She said though if she was trying to convince herself or her friends was still unclear. Her muddled brain however was trying to formulate a plan to get them out of their current predicament. "We have no choice. Achilles will helps us get out of this mess. The bomb is about to go off so the team will focus on getting out of here while we take down Darkmatter and his friends.

The team was about to voice their objections when Achilles spoke, "I have waited for this for a long time. It's gonna be fun." Only then did the team pay close attention to the young man. He was an exact duplicate of Conner, from his black hair to his blue eyes albeit with some differences. Achilles had a tattoo of two vertical lines starting from the top of his right eyebrow to his jaw. He was dressed in a suit similar to his father's solar suit. His however was black with a silver S shield on his chest. The left arm was sleeveless revealing a large black flame tattoo that covered most of his arm. Helios had also morphed to reflect her brother with the tattoo over her left eye and her right arm bore the flame tattoo. Her suit however was silver with a black S shield. These changes however were temporary as soon afterwards she reverted to her previous costume while Achilles morphed his clothing into something that suited his taste. In the end he wore a black t-shirt with the silver S shield adorning the front with black jeans and black combat boots. His bracelets were even thicker than Helios' and covered most of his forearms. For all the similarities that he shared with his father physically, his eyes were different. There was something behind them that sent a shiver down the spines of his enemies and his friends alike. He saw the same reaction now as his eyes landed on Weaver. "Weaver, it's been too long." His voice was calm but its effect was anything but.

Weaver's eyes were wide and her voice trembled slightly as she tried to address him but only managed to utter his name, "Wrath."

It was not his real name but it was one that he adopted a long time ago. "Yes Weaver, it's me. But all through my incarceration I thought of a new name, Ares. You and I, we have a lot to discuss." He spoke as he stepped forwards towards the trembling girl. Henchman, not taking kindly to people threatening his love, stepped protectively in front of her. The sight of the man challenging him caused him let out a small laugh of amusement.

"Brother, please don't do this." Helios pleaded seeing the look in his eyes. That look did not bode well for those who chose the path of evil. "You are better than this, please don't do this." She had seen that look years ago before he was imprisoned. She knew what was coming and if she had to plead to avert it then that was what she was going to do.

Achilles, now Ares, heard the pleading tone in his sister's voice but he had to so what was necessary to protect the innocent. He took a step towards Henchman and Weaver, the former taking another step forward challenging him. He watched as Henchman took a step forward blocking his way to his intended target. An ant standing defiantly in the path of a boot, trying in vain to change its direction even though it's fate was sealed the moment it took the mantle of Henchman. Ares probed his mind perusing through his memories, searching for all the evil that he had committed under the service of Weaver. He was at one point a mechanic with a wonderful family and his hands free of blood. But now he was an emissary of darkness having murdered both good and evil alike. "Michael Peter Richards," he spoke addressing him by his true name, "you have taken the life of 423 sentient beings. Your soul has been tainted by the blood of those whose lives you took, their souls screaming for vengeance against your actions."

Helios and the rest of the team then watched in horror as Ares raised his hand and with a snap of his fingers caused Henchman's head to explode sending blood and pieces of brain and bone flying everywhere.

What did you do?" Nightwing asked.

Ares lowered his hand before speaking, "Blood for blood, he has atoned for his crimes. Justice has been served."

A/N  
Yeah from now on things are gonna get bloody, you have been warned. Hope you are enjoying the story so far and if you have questions just ask. Anyways read, enjoy, review.


	16. Chapter 16

**"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"** Artemis shouted as they all stood unmoving the image of an exploding skull etched in their memories. Helios didn't answer and neither did she grasp the other questions the team was asking. She couldn't say she was surprised but she was disappointed that 5minutes after his freedom Achilles had taken another life. She had hoped that his rehabilitation at the Fortress would have changed him, but that was hoping for too much.

She watched as Ares turned to Weaver a smirk tugging at his lips, "you and I have unfinished business Weaver, indeed we do." He walked closer to the frightened teen and found his path blocked again by the dwarves. Ares watched them closely, his eyes moving from their costumes to their katanas. His smile got wider as he morphed his right bracelet into a sword. It was a meter long, the blade split down the middle to form two blades the red outlining the edges of the black blade. "If you value your lives it would be wise if you run away as fast as you can." He watched them intently as they gripped their katanas even more tightly and continued, "Fine, I will try to make this as quick as possible." His attack was so fast that one of the dwarves had lost an arm before he realized what had happened.

The moment that Ares had attacked, the golems resumed their advances and Miss Martian only managed to hold them at bay with her telekinesis. **"Can someone please tell me what is going on." **Nightwing asked through the mind link.

**"I think we would all like to know that."** Zatanna added and soon the rest of the team joined in.

Helios felt sick as she watched her brother fight with the samurai and the amalgamation of voices in her head wasn't helping matters**. "ENOUGH! We will explain everything when we get back to the cave but right now we need to get out of here. Nightwitch can you block Legions magical connection to the golems?"**

Nightwitch nodded, "**yeah, but only for a few minutes."**

**"That will just have to do until you and Zatanna take her out."**

**"My magic is useless against her."** Zatanna objected.

Helios gave her a small smile before she replied, **"Trust me you can kick her ass if you put your mind to it. I'll give you the opening you need then I will go after Darkmatter."** With that she stood up and with a loud cry she smashed her hands together sending a massive telekinetic wave that flattened all the rock creatures and caused part of the room to explode outwards.

Seeing her opening Nightwitch begun to chant in a strange language her eyes glowing white and a gust of wind swirling around her. She finished and a surge of energy hit the ground spreading in all directions. **"It's done but it won't last long."** They turned to implement their attack and found themselves watching the carnage that Ares had wrought.

The dwarf whose hand had been chopped off was missing his head which was laying a few feet from his body. Another was cut in half, his feet still kicking as the blood drained from them and his teeth grit in pain as the life trickled out of him. They were just in time to watch as Ares sliced through one of the dwarves' katana and threw him against a wall before punching him in the face, his skull crumbling underneath Ares' fist like an eggshell. He was headed for Weaver who was pressed against a wall as the dwarves tried in vain to protect her.

Helios knowing it was pointless trying to stop him instead launched herself at Darkmatter who had recovered his knives and begun fighting with him.

Zatanna helped Nightwitch go after Legion who had escaped further into the facility.

The rest of the team not sure what to do went to help Helios with Darkmatter but she refused. **"Don't try to help me, get to the bioship."**

**"We are not leaving you alone with this guy."** Batgirl objected.

**"I'll be okay. Quickshot, take them to the ship, we'll be right behind you."** Quickshot nodded before she grabbed Beastboy and ran towards the opening in the wall created by Helios' telekinetic blast indicating for the rest of the team to follow.

Weaver was frozen in fear as the dwarves fell one by one and Ares came closer to her. She was a telepath not a fighter and he was immune to telepathy especially one as weak as hers. Ares dispatched another dwarf by sticking his sword into his skull. The three remaining minions took a few steps back their eyes wide with fear. Ares stepped forward and his sword melted back to its bracelet form before forming three blades that looked like claws. He morphed the bracelet on the other hand to mimic the "claws" before he closed his fist and inspected them with interest. "I learnt this from a film I once saw, I really enjoyed it." He turned to the samurai then launched himself at the three slicing one across his stomach with a swipe of his hand before he plunged the blades into his stomach and drew his fist up slicing up to his throat. He stabbed the other in the chest and blocked a swipe from the last samurai with his hand causing it to break in half. He removed the blades from the samurai's chest before he snapped his neck then turned to the last one and morphed his claws back into bracelets. The minion stood surprised for a moment before he felt his airways blocked by an unknown force. Ares raised his hand as he crushed the man's throat and watched his body spasm before he went limp. He threw him aside and turned to Weaver. He was about to assault her mind when he was tackled into a wall. He was surprised for a moment until his eyes met another set of blue so much like his own.

Helios had been content in fighting Darkmatter but she couldn't let anyone else take Weaver down. Sending Darkmatter flying with a right hook, she turned to her brother and tackled him into a wall. She saw the surprise in his eyes turn to realization before she whispered in his mind, **"She is mine."**

Ares kept his eyes fixed on the telepath as she tried to make her escape before his sister slammed him into the wall again**, "Do you understand? She is mine."** He saw the fire in his sister's eyes then gave a small nod. Helios let go of him and turned to Weaver as Ares flew over to Darkmatter. Darkmatter had just got to his feet when another blow sent him into another room of the facility.

Helios turned to the retreating girl, "I never pegged you as a coward Helena." She addressed Weaver by her name knowing it would get her attention.

Weaver stiffened then turned slowly to face the alien, "do you blame me clone? You know what he would have done to me, death would have been preferable."

"Sorry, but my sympathies don't extend that far. I can't let you walk out of here. We do after all have a score to settle."

Weaver relaxed and her face split into a wide grin, "Ready for round five, clone?"

"Bring it on bitch." Helios replied her eyes glowing blue.

A/N  
I know I might have gone a bit far with the reference to Wolverine's claws but I just couldn't help myself. Also I know there is another character called Ares in the DC universe but I thought it would reflect his character as you shall see later on. Read, enjoy, review. Please.


	17. Chapter 17

Zatanna and Nightwitch found Legion in the control room typing on the controls before she used her magic to destroy the computer. "What did you do?" Nightwitch asked her voice menacing.

Legion turned to her a small smile forming, "I just activated project Nova. Without the control crystal it will overload exploding with the force of a Derxion enriched nuclear warhead. The explosion will obliterate half this continent and there is nothing you can do to stop it."

Nightwitch screamed with rage and released a spell that hit the woman in the chest causing golden ropes to cover her from head to toe. She then walked over to Legion and looked her in the eye as she spoke, "I win."

Nightwitch then stood up and turned to Zatanna before a laugh caused her to stop in her tracks. "You may have defeated me but you friends won't get out of here alive."

"What are you talking about?" Zatanna asked her eyes narrowing.

"Your time is up and now, my babies can come out to play." Legion said cackling with glee as Nightwitch and Zatanna looked at each other with horrified expressions.

* * *

Quickshot and the rest of the team minus Nightwitch, Zatanna, Ares and Helios were almost at the bioship when their path was once again blocked by the rock creatures. "Oh man, not these guys again." Kid flash grumbled.

"Doesn't matter, we can take them." Wondergirl said enthusiastically rushing towards one of the creatures and using all of her strength to punch it. She staggered back as she saw the creature stand back up her attack barely making a dent. "What's wrong? We were able to destroy them before."

"She must have strengthened them." Quickshot answered her.

"Can she do that?" Aqualad asked turning to the speedster.

"Yeah, but it takes a lot of power. We don't have time for this." Quickshot said her eyes roaming over the creatures barring their way. "Get ready to run to the bioship."

"What are you going to do?" Artemis asked.

Quickshot smiled sadly before she spoke, "What I do best." She turned to the creatures and started to run a wide circle around them. She encompassed all of them pushing them into a tight circle as she ran faster and faster. She amped up her speed and felt a familiar sensation as energy engulfed her crackling like electricity. She was almost creating a whirlwind as the energy trailed behind her forming a tail. She was careful however to stay behind the energy trail. When she had gained sufficient energy, she formed two diagonal lines forming an X and letting the energy trail intersect with itself. She was almost too slow getting out of the way as the reaction of the intersecting energy trail caused a massive explosion that destroyed all the creatures.

When the dust settled, the team couldn't help but celebrate as they saw all creatures destroyed. "She did it." Robin exclaimed their eyes scanning for the speedster.

"Where is she?" Kid flash asked turning to the team.

Superboy was the first to see her, "there she is." He said indicating to a prone figure lying in the sand. They rushed over to her and crowded around her with concern as they watched the girl's body convulsing violently, blood seeping from her nose and mouth.

"What's wrong with her?" Artemis asked her voice rising with concern.

"I don't know, but we should ask Zoe and Rory." Nightwing stated calmly.

M'gann tried to establish a connection with her daughter but was repelled as she was involved in psychic battle. She searched for the magician and let out a sigh of relief when she found them**. "Zoe, Zatanna, there's something wrong with Lilly. She did something and now she has a nosebleed and her body is convulsing."**

**"Damn it Lilly, what were you thinking?" **Nightwitch thought as she moved through the facility with Zatanna, Legion in tow. **"Look in her quiver, you will find a metallic vial with a needle on one end. Deliver the serum directly into her heart but make sure you hold her down. Zatanna and I are on our way."**

Artemis did as she was told and Superboy held the girl down. Artemis pushed the needle into the girl's chest and injected the contents.

Quickshot stopped convulsing and Superboy took her gently in his arms and headed for the bioship. They got in, Zatanna and Zoe entering a few seconds later with an unconscious Legion wrapped in golden ropes and suspended in the air.

"What happened to her?" Wally asked pointing to his unconscious daughter.

Zoe walked over to her friend and knelt down beside her checking her pulse, "She pushed herself too hard and suffered the consequences." She looked around before asking "Where's Rory and Achilles?"

She was spared an answer when the two came in Darkmatter and Weaver over their shoulders. They were out cold.

"Rory!" Zoe exclaimed giving the girl a hug.

Aurora returned the hug, "I'm fine Zee but we need to get out of here."

"No, Legion activated the bomb we have less than a minute before it explodes, violently."

Achilles nodded as he stepped out of the bioship.

Aurora went after him, "Get as far away from here as possible, and then come for us."

Zoe nodded then turned to M'gann, "We really need to get out of here."

Aurora and Achilles flew to the facility and landed outside the doors. "How much time do we have?" Aurora asked.

"Not much." Achilles stated simply.

Aurora looked at her brother facing him before she lifted up her hands her left closed into a fist while her right was open, her palm facing her brother. "Are you ready?"

Achilles did the same and covered her fist with his hand while she did the same. "Have I ever been otherwise?" He asked as they created the electromagnetic shield. It had just covered the building when the explosion forced the bubble outwards. The force was staggering and Aurora was brought to her knees as she struggled to maintain the shield. The explosion lasted a few seconds before things calmed down leaving a massive crater in the ground. When it was safe they turned off the shield and her brother helped her up. They flew to the bioship that had landed a few meters away and Achilles helped her inside.

"Is she okay?" M'gann asked concerned as Aurora fell unconscious.

"Yes, she will be okay." Achilles said his eyes on his sister before he turned to the team. "Forgive me for this, but it is the only way." Before the team could contemplate his words, he hit them with a psychic blast sending them into unconsciousness. He looked at each one of them before he walked out of the bioship. He looked towards the sky before he powered up his telekinesis compressing it beneath him. He crouched low and with an explosive force he released the telekinetic energy letting it propel him faster than sound through the air and to his desired destination, Gotham.


	18. Chapter 18

**WARNING: ****  
This chapter contains hints of sexual abuse and torture.**

Ares stepped up to Darkmatter who was on his knees. He had left Helios to fight Weaver knowing how much his sister hated the telepath and he had questions that needed to be answered. Darkmatter stood up shakily only to be punched into the wall. Before he could move, Ares drove his sword into his stomach pinning him to the wall. The metahuman screamed in pain and his knives fell out of his hands. Seeing that his prey wasn't going anywhere, Ares stepped back and used his telekinesis to lift the man's head such that they were eye to eye. "Hello cousin." He said his voice calm.

Darkmatter groaned as blood fell from his wound and a little trickling from his mouth, "I am alright considering the fact that you just shoved a sword through my stomach."

"Do not worry. I am sure your advanced healing will take care of that however I have questions that need to be answered and you know I will be able to determine whether you are lying to me."

Darkmatter watched him carefully before he nodded his head disappointing him was a very bad idea. "What kind of questions?"

Ares closed his eyes for a moment before he asked his question, "Was Aurora involved in your escape and your current mission?"

"No." Darkmatter answered simply.

Ares smiled and opened his eyes. His sister was not involved, that was a good thing. "My next question unfortunately is a bit more complex. What is the true purpose of this mission?"

Darkmatter was silent. Their plan did involve letting the krypto-martian know of their plans, but he needed to convince him that it was the right course of action or risk forfeiting his life. "Your parents had trouble conceiving, did they not?"

"Yes, they did." Ares stated a look of confusion on his face.

"And their first three pregnancies were not carried to term."

Ares got even more confused, "yes, mother had three miscarriages however I asked you the true purpose of your mission not for you to remind me of my family history."

Darkmatter wiped some blood from his chin before continuing. "In order for you to understand the purpose of our mission, then you need to understand our motive for implementing it first." He waited for a moment and Ares gave a small nod prompting him to continue. "Do you know why your parents had trouble conceiving? Why they had three miscarriages before your older brother was born?"

"They are a few theories." Ares said nodding. He continued seeing that Darkmatter expected him to state them. "The first theory was that the stress of battle had caused the miscarriages, but that was proved wrong after Alanna's birth. The second was that since they are of different species, mother's body needed to create a stable embryo through trial and error."

Darkmatter nodded his head, "Your parents are of two different species Kryptonian and Martian. Add in the fact that you father had traces of human DNA made it impossible for them to conceive a healthy child together. Your mother being a Martian made it possible, however her body kept rejecting the embryos before they attached to her womb. Martian physiology is incredible, whether knowingly or unknowingly, her body tried to create viable offspring with the three genetic materials. That is why at first she couldn't conceive, and then the babies didn't survive the first few months of pregnancy and then after years of trying your brother was born."

"This is indeed interesting but if we could get to the importance of this story."Ares said a hint of impatience in his voice.

"In short what I am trying to put forth is that your mother, unbeknownst to her, was doing something akin to genetic manipulation, a process that she keeps perfecting with each pregnancy. That is why you and Aurora are more powerful than your eldest brother, why Xavier is more powerful than the both of you and why Alanna is the most powerful. In fact she may be the most powerful being in the world, next to KaBooM of course. However after the birth of the triplets, they will be the most powerful beings on the planet." Darkmatter paused waiting for the information to sink in. "As you know there are those who would do anything to use them as weapons much like your father was intended to be. With your father gone the risk to them is greater and should they succeed we would be defenseless. Mother sent me here to retrieve the spark so that we could create a weapon capable of destroying them should they become a threat."

Ares' eyes widened in disbelief and anger, "you want to create a weapon that would be used against my family?"

"Only when necessary I assure you. You better than anyone know that sometimes unspeakable things need to be done for the sake of the innocent." Darkmatter said cringing from the anger in Ares' words.

"Regardless, they are but innocent children."

"And they will be treated as such. The weapon will only be used as a measure of last resort and if you play your part may be entirely unnecessary."

Ares narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean if I play my part?"

"You and I are alike in many ways Achilles, both of us are some of the few who can do what is necessary for the good of the innocent. Your little vendetta however will accomplish nothing but the eradication of a few evil souls. If you put your hatred aside and protect your family, then the need for the weapon will be moot. With your father gone and Kal-el powerless you need to be there to do what is necessary for their protection."

Ares chuckled darkly, "Even if I was able to do that, none of them will believe that I have changed my ways."

Darkmatter allowed a small smile, "Then you will need to persuade them that you have changed a feat that would be possible with testament from someone whose credibility cannot be called into question."

"Aurora."

"Aurora, she is the perfect candidate all you need to do is let her do what they tried all those years ago. Or at least let her think that she has 'changed' your mind."

Ares nodded and contemplated the revelation silently. It was true that many villains would try to use his siblings as weapons and with father gone, there was no other choice. Seeing that he had made his decision, Darkmatter spoke." The brotherhood will always be on hand to lend assistance should you need it and the invitation still stands, should you change your mind about joining."

"I'll keep that in mind." Ares said as he lifted up his hands and electricity from the sword knocked Darkmatter unconscious. He summoned the sword that bound itself to his wrist in its bracelet form and then used telekinesis to carry Darkmatter out of the room. He stepped into the room where Helios and Weaver were fighting in time to see his sister triumph over the older woman. "Good job sister."

Helios turned around in anticipation of attack but calmed down when she saw him and Darkmatter floating in the air. "We need to get out of here." She walked over to Weaver and lifted her up before flying out of the facility Ares following close behind.

* * *

Achilles was perched on a rooftop of a building as he surveyed the city before him; Gotham, home to murderers, thieves and other scum. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he felt some of their thoughts. This however was not his time. No, he could not interfere. He was about to fly to his destination when he felt a small cry of help. He stopped for a moment, listening not only with his ears but with his mind as well. "Please, do anything you want to me, just don't hurt my sister." He heard the voice the same time he felt the girl's thoughts. She was frightened, but her heart was heavy with despair at the thought of what they would do to her sister.

"Scum."Ares growled before he flew towards the voice timeline be damned.

"Shut up darling or things will go from bad to worse real quick." The largest of the men said. He was dressed in baggy faded blue jeans and a large brown jacket hid his other clothing. He had a black beanie covering his black hair. A large scar crossed his face and his green eyes glittered menacingly. There were three others but Ares' eyes were locked on that one man. He was still far off, but his superior vision enabled him to see everything. The teenage girl whimpered as she tried to hide a little girl behind her back. The men kept moving closer pushing them back into the alley. One of the men stepped forward and grabbed the teenager's arm pulling her close to him.

"Please don't…" The girl was silenced with a smack across the face.

"Sophie." The little girl called running to her sister but was intercepted by the scared man.

"Don't worry sweetie, daddy's got you." He said dragging the girl further back into the alley.

The elder girl, Sophie, kicked and thrashed screaming her head off, "You leave her alone you bastard." The man holding her smashed her into a wall leaving her dazed. The other two held her against the wall as the third pressed himself against her back kissing her neck as his hands traveled to the waistline of her jeans. Tears streamed down her face her voice shaking, "Please, don't hurt her."

"Sorry darling but a man has his needs." One of the men whispered in her ear. She steeled herself, her eyes closed tightly as she offered a silent prayer knowing that they may never recover from what was about to happen.

She felt the men let go of her and she closed her eyes even more tightly waiting for the inevitable. After a few seconds however, a soft hand held hers and she opened her eyes to stare in disbelief as her little sister proceeded to hug her legs. "Marie?" She asked as she fell on her knees and hugged the little girl tightly. She let go quickly and turned around to make sure that they were safe and her mouth fell open.

The four men were on their knees and before them stood a tall figure with black hair and glowing blue eyes. The four men seemed to be immobilized and shook in terror at the fury etched on the heroes face.

Ares was livid. He wanted nothing more than to lay waste to the scum that kneeled before him but he needed to confirm that their victims were safe. "Are you alright?"

Sophie nodded tears streaming down her face, "Thank you." She whispered.

Ares nodded, "You should leave."

Sophie took her little sister in her arms and was about to walk out of the alley when she stopped. "What are you going to do to them?"

Ares turned to her and looked her in the eyes, "I am going to make sure they pay for what they have done."

"I want to see." She said putting the young girl in her arms down.

Ares raised an eyebrow, it was understandable that she would want to see what would happen to them but he had his reservations. "You should get her home." He said, his eyes going to the little girl.

Sophie however had other ideas. They had wanted to hurt her sister. They had to pay and she had to make sure they did. "I'll take her home, after I see what you will do to them."

Ares nodded and his eyes glowed even more brightly as he put the little girl to sleep. "What I am about to do is not something that innocent eyes should see." He said as Sophie took the young girl in her arms. He turned to the creatures kneeling before him, "I may not have the same finesse as sister but I'll try my best."

The night air was pierced with screams from three of the criminals as Ares used his telekinesis to flay them alive, ripping skin from muscle and bone. Their screams got louder and he constricted their airways, he didn't want to alert the authorities or a certain bat of his actions until he was ready. The fourth man with the scar watched in horror as his accomplices twitched in agony, their skin pooling at their knees. Ares finished and let them fall to the ground unmoving; one of them was already dead while the other two would be soon enough. He turned to the last one and his eyes widened in fear, "Please, if you just let me go or if you can't then kill me just don't do that to me."

Ares turned to him and the man whimpered his body shaking violently and when he spoke even Sophie took a few steps back. "You are the most despicable of all of them, preying on the young, corrupting them, you deserve worse than death. I won't kill you but believe me when I say you will beg for it."

"Please, have mercy." The scarred man begged.

"Mercy?" Ares asked his eyes turning red, "I know not the word." He said as he tore into the man's psyche, tearing it apart piece by piece and when he was finished trapped him inside his mind, all his past actions playing over and over again. He let go of the man and turned to the young woman in the alley. Sophie took a step back her eyes on the man who lay on the ground, his eyes wide and horror etched in his features as he twitched in pain and his mouth open in a never-ending silent scream of pain. "I will not harm you." Achilles spoke softly turning to the young woman.

"I know." Sophie said.

"Where do you live Sophie?"

The teen was hesitant before she cleared her throat and looked him in the eye, "We leave in Metropolis. I was visiting a friend and it got late. Thank you for saving us."

Achilles nodded and stepped closer to her, "I could take you home if you want, Gotham as you found out is not a safe place at night."

Sophie bit her bottom lip in uncertainty before she gave a small nod. "I live in…"

"I know where you live." Achilles interrupted and stepped forward taking the sleeping girl from her arms. "You may feel uncomfortable but you will not fall, it helps if you close your eyes."

"What are you talking …"

She was however interrupted once again as she felt an invisible force grab her and she watched with wide eyes as she rose into the sky, the buildings falling away from her. Despite what had happened, she could not help as a small smile tugged at her lips. A smile that grew wider when Marie woke up and squealed with delight as they headed to Metropolis.

* * *

On a roof across the alley a lone figure stood watching all that transpired. She took a small notebook from her pocket and flipped a few pages. She read the contents of the desired page and smiled as she watched three figures retreating into the sky. She removed the lollipop from her mouth and pocketed the little book. "Right on schedule." She said as she returned the green sweet to her mouth and disappeared into thin air.

A/N  
Sorry for the late update but it was unavoidable. Next chapter will reveal why Achilles is who he is. Thanks to all those who have reviewed so far. Read, enjoy, review.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**  
"Zatanna, wake up."

Zatanna groaned as she tried to open her eyes. She had a slight headache and it took some time for her to remember what had happened. Her blurry vision slowly came into focus and her jaw dropped as she stared into the concerned eyes of her father, "Are you alright?"

Zatanna shook her head clearly confused as her eyes fell on Fate who knelt beside her as well. "Daddy, is that you? But who is wearing the helmet?"

"I am still wearing the helmet. I am just a spiritual projection." Zatanna explained. It had not taken long to figure out the enhancements that his granddaughter had made.

"Oh." Zatanna stated as she looked closely at her father only then realizing that he was a bit see-through. She looked around her and saw the other members of the team, some waking up and others already awake. "What happened?"

"The league decided to investigate after a powerful energy surge was detected. We found you unconscious in the bioship. Are you sure you are alright?" Zatara asked.

Zatanna gave a small smile. "I am fine, just a little tired." It wasn't the same, she doubted she could even touch him, but she was happy that she could at least talk to him even if he was still trapped under the helmet. She got up slowly and watched as Fate walked over to Zoe her father floating behind like a ghost.

Aurora felt horrible. Her head was on fire and her body ached all over. She sat up and took in her surroundings watching as some league members helped the team. Her eyes found Darkmatter, Weaver and Legion who were still knocked out their inhibitor collars still active. She tried to sense her brother but knew it was hopeless, he was long gone. Zatanna approached her and helped her up. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." Aurora said as she held her head. They helped the others and then exited the bioship. Most of the league members were going through the rubble that had once been Entrocorp and the team and the other leaguers walked over to them.

Batman walked over to them and his eyes fell on Nightwing, "Report."

Nightwing took a deep breath before he spoke, "the mission to apprehend the criminal Darkmatter was a success and in addition two of his accomplices from the future were apprehended as well. However, there were unforeseen complications."

"What kind of complications?" Superman asked stepping forward.

The team turned to Aurora waiting for her to explain. "We will explain everything when we get back to the cave. Right now we need to find the scientists that Darkmatter let go before he killed the others."

"Do you know where they are?" Batman asked.

"I can sense them." Aurora said as she flew towards the direction of the scientists the league following behind her. She found them spread out near a stream and she landed before them.

A man with brown hair and green eyes behind horn-rimmed glasses walked up to her and the arriving members of the team and the league. "My name is Dr. Mathew Freeman, thank God you found us. A madman came into our lab and brought us here, can you help us?"

"Don't worry Dr. Freeman that is exactly what we are here to do."

* * *

There was silence in the bioship as the team returned to the cave. They had taken the scientists to the nearest town after changing some of their memories and creating false ones to explain the explosion in the lab. Aurora was trying to find her brother even though she knew she wouldn't find him if he didn't want her to. The bioship landed with a dull thump and the team and a few leaguers stepped out. The super powered leaguers flew in after them and they all assembled in the briefing room with the prisoners. "Alright explain." Batman stated.

Aurora, Zoe and Lilly exchanged glances then looked at the heroes before them. Batman was at the front, Aquaman, Superman and Wonder woman standing next to him. Canary, Green arrow, Green lantern standing on his left. J'onn was helping M'gann onto a chair, Flash was sharing a bag of whizees with Wally and Fate and the apparition of Zatara were standing next to Zatanna. Hawkman and Hawkwoman were standing next to the rest of the team their arms crossed over their chest. Nightwing had filled them in on what had happened during the mission and now they wanted answers. Unsure of where to start, Aurora opted to establish one fact. "First of all before we tell you anything, you need to know that Achilles is not evil."

"He just killed eight guys I don't think he is exactly one of the good guys." Wally interrupted receiving a few glares.

"Yes he is a killer but he isn't all bad, he's just misguided." Aurora said with a deep sigh.

"What happened?" Nightwing asked remembering Zoe mentioning an event that changed them.

Zoe glanced at Aurora and received a small nod. She took a few steps forward and with a reassuring smile from Aurora and Lilly her eyes glowed white as she cast her spell, "laever ym eurt fles." Her body was engulfed in a bright light and when it dispersed there were gasps from the assembled heroes as they took in her true form.

She stood in a blue sports bra and black spandex shorts the clothing exposing her massively scarred body. Her legs had long scars running from her thighs to her knees and from her knees to her ankles with other smaller scars crisscrossing each other. Her arms bore the same type of scars that could have only been made by a sharp blade. Her back had even more scars than her arms and legs combined. The skin of her stomach instead of being smooth was heavily scarred with what seemed to be a previous chemical burn. Her face had few scars, but one stood out like a neon sign. A scar that caused Batman to release a small growl as his hands clenched into fists mirroring Nightwing who was staring at his daughter, at the scar that started from her cheeks to the edge of her lips forming a grotesque smile. Another flash of light engulfed her and she stood in front of them fully clothed her skin smooth and flawless.

"What happened to you?' Zatanna asked with tears in her eyes as she tried to imagine the pain that the girl must have gone through and her failure to protect her.

"The Light or at least those that were still active." Zoe explained. "They came after us when we were young I was eight I think. They wanted to experiment on us, to see the effects of combining different powers into single individuals. However the Joker found me in one of the labs and decided that he wanted a 'playmate'."

"He did that to you even though you were eight?" Cassie asked.

"The Joker isn't exactly known for his sound mind and rational thinking."

"You said the Light came after you. How many of you did they take?" Batman asked his voice low.

"And what did they do to you?" Conner added.

"They took seven of us and took us to separate labs in a hidden facility where they experimented on us." Lilly started her eyes finding her parents.

"What kind of experiments?" Wally asked his eyes on his daughter.

"Well, they wanted to see whether mom being human affected my speedster powers so they put a collar on me and put me in this circular chamber. The collar would activate if I went below a certain speed causing excruciating pain. So I ran as fast as I could and after five hours, I had burned through my shoes. The next seven hours weren't the happiest in my life, I mean try running at 300 miles per second when you feet are skinned and bleeding." Lilly finished sadly.

"The others endured similar experimentation of their powers. Placebo for example had the power to trick the body into believing anything he said. He could literally kill you with one word. The light however deemed him to be too great a risk and they had his vocal chords removed rendering him mute and stripping him of most of his powers." Zoe added.

"Tsunami is half Atlantean and as a result they nearly drowned her trying to access her Atlantean physiology. When that didn't work they subjected her to electroshock therapy with the voltage far above that which any human or Atlantean could survive. Her alien physiology however allowed her to survive but the shock permanently activated her earth controlling abilities as a result she can never touch the ground or risk tearing the planet apart."

Zoe looked at Aurora who had remained silent before she continued, "Acid was exposed to a high level of fear gas to see how his powers of creating indistinguishable hallucinations would react. The process left him in a dream-like state where he couldn't differentiate between reality and the nightmares that plagued him for weeks before he woke up. Afterwards it took months before we convinced him that he was truly awake."

There was silence after they finished before M'gann spoke up, "What about you Aurora?" She walked over to the girl and placed her hand on her shoulder.

Aurora closed her eyes tightly before she revealed her ordeal. "When they took us, we had limited powers. In fact, they only intended to take one of us with them but Achilles and I merged thinking we'd have a better chance of fighting. We were wrong. We had invulnerability, flight and limited telepathy with zero fighting experience. We stood no chance against their powerhouses. They overpowered us easily and we were taken to the same facility as the others but with kryptonite in short supply they opted to test our psychic powers. For thirteen hours she probed our mind trying to break through our defenses. My brother in an attempt to protect me suppressed my consciousness and took the brunt of the pain but every now and then he would be too weak and I would take over. The pain was unimaginable, worse than death, worse than burning alive believe me I've endured them all."

"Who is 'she'?" Richard asked already knowing the answer.

"Weaver." Aurora growled her eyes glaring at the telepath. "She might not have wanted to torture us but the pain we endured would have driven both of us insane if we had been in full control."

"Is psychic torture really that bad?" La'gaan asked.

It was J'onn who answered him, "psychic torture is the worst kind of pain. Since the pain is translated into physical pain the effects are two-fold. Most adults are left with their psyches shattered to put a child through that kind of torment is…"

"Unthinkable." M'gann offered as a single tear slid down her cheek. Their children had suffered because of them and they had not been able to protect them. One of the most powerful organizations in the world and they had not been able to protect those close to them. Maybe Conner was right, the Light needed to be eradicated and as she looked at the assembled heroes she saw she was not alone in the growing hatred for the Light.

"How could you do that to innocent children?" Artemis asked turning to Weaver.

"Innocent? Trust me Arty, they are far from innocent." Weaver scoffed. "Let them finish the story and you will see just how innocent they are."

"What are you talking about? What is she talking about?" Wally asked turning back to the three girls.

Lilly stared at her feet as she spoke, "Do you remember the way I destroyed those golems in Australia?" Wally nodded and she continued. "When I was running, I accidentally triggered the same phenomenon. I didn't even know I was capable of something like that. All I remember is that I wanted the pain to stop. The resulting explosion destroyed the lab and killed the scientists that were in charge of the experiment."

"But that was an accident, it wasn't your fault." Wally argued.

Lilly shrugged and fell silent her eyes finding Zoe's. "Why don't you tell them what you did to the Jester magician. I'm sure you're parents would be so proud." Weaver mocked causing Xander to glare disapprovingly at her.

"I don't know what I did to the Joker." Zoe explained. "All I know is that I was dying and suddenly my body received a surge of magic and I blacked out. Joker was never seen again and Nabu thought I sent him to the dark realm."

"What is the 'dark realm'?" Batman asked.

"It is a dimension comparable to hell where the inhabitants endure perpetual torment for all eternity. How you were able to conjure such magic shows your true potential." Nabu spoke causing all eyes to land on him.

"I didn't know what I was doing. I doubt I can even do it again." Zoe finished.

"You may not have known what you were doing but I did." Aurora said.

"Rory, it was not your fault."

"What do you mean?" Conner asked.

Aurora took a deep breath and let out a sigh, "After you rescued us, you took Achilles to the Fortress so that he could recover. I didn't need such treatment since I didn't endure as much as he did but mom kept a close eye on us. I managed to convince you that we needed to merge and afterwards things were fine for a while. But after some time, Weaver surfaced and Achilles took control of our body and went after her. She disappeared when we went after her and Achilles turned his attention on a group of criminals who were nearby and he killed them. I tried to stop him but he argued that it needed to be done. 'Minatur innocentibus qui parcit nocentibus' he said."

"What does that mean?" Gar asked curiously.

"It's Latin, it means..." Nightwing started.

"He threatens the innocent who spares the guilty." Conner finished.

Aurora nodded, "He said that we needed to stop evil before it ran out of control. I voiced my opinion that we didn't have to kill them but he countered saying that they would just get out. He said that if you were brave enough, if you did what was necessary then none of us would have been tortured. We wouldn't have been experimented on and all those people who died each time one of the villains escaped would still be alive. And he was right." She ignored the shocked expressions on the heroes' faces as she continued. "You could have killed the villains and saved a lot of lives in the process, but you would not have been the heroes we so look up to. At the time however I was mad and I was in pain and I agreed. That day we changed, he became Wrath and I became Vengeance and we begun our mission. No villain was safe from us. We killed and we destroyed minds and we did things that will haunt me for the rest of my life."

"Things changed when I accidentally destroyed a young boy's mind. I realised that what we were doing was wrong and I went back home. Achilles on the other hand saw him as a casualty of war and he continued on his mission. In the end dad had to take him down, hard and he was taken to the Fortress and encased in crystal until you died and I convinced mom that I could keep him in check."

"That is why Bruce is your mentor." Richard stated.

"Yeah, he taught me how to become a better person and how to be a hero. But that was not enough, the six of us that remained had changed too much and we swore to one another that we would be the best and so we disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Dinah asked.

"Yeah, we went away for three years though to you it was about six weeks." Zoe explained.

"Three years? Where did you go?" Oliver asked.

"Wait, if you went away for three years, how old does that make you?" Flash asked. He received stares from the other members of the league and tried to defend himself, "What? You can't tell me you are not curious. I mean they look so young."

"We can't tell you where we went." Zoe replied.

"And it's rude to ask a girl's age." Lilly teased.

"We spent that time training using the knowledge we acquired from your memories. We didn't just train on one particular technique instead we perfected every fighting technique you knew Jiu-jitsu, Karate, kick boxing, Muay Thai, Simbaku, Kul hunn." Lilly added.

"We made sure we knew how to use every weapon at our disposal sai, Kama, nunchaku, Bo, eskrima, tonfa, javelins, bows, swords. We made sure that we were stronger." Aurora said.

"Faster." Lilly added.

"And more powerful. We made sure that we would shed all our weakness and become the best." Zoe continued.

"And anybody who tried to come after us-" Aurora said crossing her arms.

"Would regret it." Lilly finished.

"So when you said we trained you." Nightwing stated.

"We were stretching the truth. You did train us somewhat but the training we described earlier applied to the others."

"So essentially you became soldiers and Achilles was left frozen in ice at the Fortress?" Tim asked.

Aurora's voice became soft as she remembered what her brother had been through, "Believe me, it was the only way. Inhibitor collars don't really work on us and even if they did putting him in jail would result in more deaths. The Fortress was the only viable option and you hated yourselves for doing that to him. And just because we moved on doesn't mean you forgot about him. You visited him anytime you could, you did your best to show him that you all cared."

"So, do you have any idea where he might be?" Batman asked.

Aurora nodded, "I have a few ideas but I can't say with certainty where he could go."

"How do we stop him?"

"Really Bruce, you can't even take some time to sympathize with your grandkids?" Diana asked angrily.

"I know that what they have gone through is hard, but if what they say is true then we need to find Achilles and soon."

"Bruce is right. You have to understand he isn't Achilles anymore. He has reverted back to his Wrath persona albeit with a different name his philosophy is still the same. To him evil is like a cancer and the only way to deal with it is to remove it. Wrath or rather Ares is vengeance personified, he will destroy any evil doer he deems guilty of unforgivable crimes. Thieves are not worthy of his time, Killers, rapists, those who hurt the innocent those he will destroy with the utmost prejudice. He is powerful, not as good at hand to hand as other league members but a master with the sword. He fears nothing and is not afraid of death and after what he went through pain is nothing to him. His bloodlust is unquenchable, his wrath immeasurable, his mercy non-existent. If you want to stop him you will need to deal with him as if he was any other villain because if you don't then you will lose." Aurora stated seriously.

"Any weaknesses we should know about?" Nightwing asked standing next to his former mentor.

"He is immune to heat and kryptonite will make him slightly weak but it won't disable him. He is currently immune to magic due to Zoe's protection, remember what happened when Fate tried to use magic on me. The only things that can currently hurt him are Xander's dark energy and this." Aurora indicated her bracelet. "It is made of a combination of Martian biometal and a kryptonian metal comparable to Titanium. It is strong enough that even Superman can't break it and is one of the few things that can pierce our skin."

Weaver interrupted their conversation with a laugh. "You don't need all those things to take him down you only need one thing or rather one person. You need to become Vengeance. It is the only way you can beat him.

Aurora turned to her and Weaver felt her throat constrict and she struggled for breath as Aurora walked closer to her. "Believe me, I would like nothing more than to go back to Vengeance because then I would be able to do to you what you did to us." Aurora's clenched fist shook as she tried to reign in her anger that was manifesting as a telekinetic force that was shaking the cave. The more her hand shook, the more the cave shook as well.

"Aurora, you need to calm down." Zoe said strangely calm.

"I am calm." She said before turning back to the choking telepath, "I would like nothing more than to tear into your mind and rip you psyche to shreds but I can't. Because once I go down that road there will be no coming back. So shut up and let me deal with my brother my own way." She let go of her and exited the cave. Weaver coughed as she tried to force oxygen into her lungs.

"That wasn't very smart." Lilly said as she sped to the telepath to make sure there was no permanent damage.

"We… both know… that if you don't stop him… Ares will do much worse." Weaver spoke as she gasped for breath.

"What do you mean?" Zatanna asked.

"There is a reason that He is the most feared person on the planet. Those who are lucky receive death be it quick and painless or slow and very painful. But there are the few whose crimes are too terrible for death. In those few cases, he rips their psyches apart leaving them in unending pain similar to what he and Rory went through. Then he traps them in their own minds the crimes they have committed replaying in their heads so that they know the pain they are feeling is punishment for their sins."Zoe explained.

"How long does it take them to die?" J'onn asked knowing that depending on the process the pain would cause the victim to die after sometime. It was one of the most painful deaths imaginable.

"Depends, most of them die after a few days, others after a few months. The longest is still alive after six years."

"Six years, how is that possible?" M'gann asked shocked.

"Ask Rory, she's the one that perfected the process." Zoe said sadly. Achilles was right, they were lucky Rory was one of them, otherwise things would have been much worse.

* * *

"It's no use sneaking up on me. I know all your secrets." Aurora called as she stood at the edge of the cliff. The Dark knight stepped out of the shadows and stood next to her. "Did you get the test results back?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question." Batman spoke as they watched the moon in the sky. "You should really learn to control your temper."

"Ever since dad's death I've been having trouble keeping my emotions in check. You thought this mission would help me do that. You were right but still it will take some time before things go back to normal." Aurora replied.

"You know there are some things you still haven't told us."

"Oh, you mean like the fact that you have a…" Aurora stopped as Batman raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, spoilers."

"Why keep the truth when you'll just erase our minds later?"

Aurora smiled turning to the Batman, "I knew you would be able to figure that out. Still, even though your memories will be erased, there will still be a feeling at the back of your mind when those situations arise. If I tell you too much it might affect how things play out in the future."

They lapsed into silence before he spoke, "You'll be going after him alone won't you?" Aurora nodded. "How can I help?"

"You already helped me Bruce, especially when I needed it most." Aurora said smiling. "Just promise me one thing Bruce."

"Depends." He stated simply.

"Promise me that you will take care of them. The future is not the happy place they think it will be, I mean look what happened to us. They will go through so much, endure more than even they can begin to imagine. There are things that will happen that might tear them apart and they will need you to do what is necessary to protect them. Even if they hate you, you will have to do it." She said her voice serious.

"Of course I will." Batman said as the young girl threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks for the talk Bruce." Aurora stepped back then she walked back into the cave. "And just a heads up, keep Phobos away from your cape, he likes to chew.

Batman watched her retreating figure before he followed her inside, "who is Phobos?"

**A/N**  
Sorry for taking so long but I had to make this chapter as perfect as I could. As apologies, it is much longer and I hope you all enjoy. Read, Enjoy, Review.


	20. Chapter 20

"Would you like some coffee?"

Achilles turned to Sophie and nodded. They had reached their apartment a few minutes ago and she had convinced him to stay for a while. It was a cozy two bedroom, with a living room and an adjoining kitchen. It wasn't large or extravagant but it was enough for the two girls. He watched with amusement as Marie ran up to her sister and tugged at her leg to get her attention. "Sophie, can I have one? Please."

Sophie gave a large sigh and reached for a jar next to the counter. "Just the one and then dinner." She said before handing the lollipop to the child.

Marie beamed before she took it and ran to watch Tv while her sister prepared dinner. "Should she be having sweets before dinner?" Achilles asked raising an eyebrow.

A guilty look came over Sophie before she turned away and busied herself brewing the coffee. "I know she shouldn't but after everything that has happened I just want her to be happy." She gave him a cup of the steaming liquid before she continued. "Plus she's addicted to that stuff. I couldn't get her to stop and believe me I've tried."

Achilles gave her a smile before he took his cup and joined the young girl in the living room while the eldest prepared dinner. Marie noticed his presence before she got up from her spot on the floor and joined him on the couch. She turned to face him and he noticed the odd color of her eyes. The irises were purple while her pupils were reduced to slits. It was interesting but he was pulled from his musings by the girl's question, "What are you thinking about?" She asked innocently.

Achilles could not help but smile as he answered, "You remind me of my little sister. In fact, you have the same name."

"Her name is Marie too?" The girl asked enthusiastically.

"Her middle name, yes."

"Is she a hero too?"

"No, she's too young." Achilles replied his smile growing wider. Alanna was too young to be a hero but that didn't mean she didn't try.

The girl tilted her head to the side as she pondered her next question. "What's it like having superpowers? I bet it's cool. I wish I had superpowers."

Achilles took a sip of his coffee before he answered her, "Marie, have you ever heard of the sword of Damocles?"

"What's that?" The girl asked her forehead creasing.

"Damocles was a courtier in the court of Dionysius ii of Syracuse. He told his king that as a man of great power and authority that he was extremely fortunate. So Dionysius offered to switch places with him so that he could enjoy some of his fortunes. Damocles sat on the throne but Dionysius ordered that a large sword held at the pommel by a single hair of a horse's tail. Damocles finally begged that he be allowed to leave because he didn't want to be fortunate anymore. In doing so, Dionysius showed what great fear he leaves with." Achilles took another sip of his drink before he looked at the girl straight in the eye his tone serious. "You see, most people think that having powers and being a hero is cool but what they don't understand is that we don't live perfectly normal lives. We are hunted down by our enemies and those who want to use us as weapons. We watch as those we love and care about get hurt and sometimes they die. Believe me when I say that there is nothing wrong with being an ordinary, normal human. Do you understand?"

The girl nodded and Achilles sat back as they continued to watch the television. After a few seconds however the girl turned to him a smile on her face, "It's still cool though, isn't it?"

Achilles returned her smile as he answered, "Yes, it's very cool." He put his coffee down and used his telekinesis to lift the girl in the air. Marie bust into a fit of giggles as she twirled in the air and for a moment, Achilles saw another child happily floating in the air as he played with his father. He entertained her before Sophie announced that dinner was ready.

It was as they were eating that Sophie realised something, "You know, I don't even know your name. Though being a hero and all maybe you want to preserve your secret identity."

Achilles gave her a small smile, "its Achilles. But I can't tell you my other name." He replied and the rest of the meal was devoured in silence.

Afterwards, a less than amused Marie was ushered to the bathroom to brush her teeth. "We have a hero visiting and you want me to go to sleep?" She had wanted to stay up late but Sophie was having none of that, insisting that she goes to bed. Marie pouted but complied with her sister's request. Before going to sleep however she ran back to the living room and threw her arms around the kryptonian. "Thank you for saving me." She whispered. Achilles returned her hug as he nodded. He let her go and she walked towards the bedroom. She stopped at the door and turned around a contemplative look on her face, "Achilles can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can." He answered with a nod.

"What's a courtier?" She asked her head tilted to one side.

Achilles gave a small chuckle and Sophie hid a smile behind her hand. "Goodnight Marie." He said and a smile formed on his lips as her face lit up and she followed her sister into their shared bedroom.

He had just poured himself another cup of coffee when Sophie came back to the living room and sat down on the couch. Achilles poured another cup as he joined her on the couch and handed it to her. "So do you both live here on your own?" He asked.

Sophie took a sip from her cup before she answered, "We actually live with my dad. But most of the time he has to work so we see him every other month or so."

"So if you live in Metropolis, why were you in Gotham?" Achilles asked his curiosity getting the best of him.

"We had gone to visit a friend and then I was held up for some reason I can't quite remember." She frowned as she tried in vain to remember exactly what happened but blames her memory loss on her brain trying to forget earlier events. "Anyway, thanks for saving Marie and me."

"You don't need to thank me." He replied as he continued to drink his coffee.

"Can I ask you a question?" She inquires and Achilles smiles as he nods remembering her little sister asking the same question. "Why did you kill them like that? In fact why did you kill them? I thought heroes were all about preserving life."

Achilles' smile fades and he puts his cup down, "If I put them in jail then they could have got out at one point. Trust me they always get out. And just killing them would be too easy. They deserve to feel the pain that they have inflicted on others."

"You aren't the same as most heroes are you?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

Achilles gave a small smile and shook his head before he stood up and walked towards a glass case hanging on the wall. Inside were a pair of golden katara the blades glinting in the light. "Your sister's eyes, is she a metahuman?" He asked suddenly.

"No she isn't and neither I'm I." She answered seeing the intense look in his eyes. "The doctors don't know what to make of it but she has no powers. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Achilles answered as he looked at the familiar blades. When she helped him she said she was repaying a favor. Funny how the world works he thought as he tore his eyes away from the weapons. "I have to leave." He said turning around.

"I know." Sophie said placing her cup on the table. She stood up and walked over to him," She'll miss you when she wakes up."

Achilles' eyes looked towards the bedroom, "I'll visit before I leave." He extended his hand and smiled at her. Sophie took his hand and gave a firm handshake. "Take care of yourself Sophie." He said.

"Goodbye Achilles." She returned letting go of his hand and opening the door for him. Achilles gave one last nod and a smile before he left.

"Goodbye Ripper." He whispered as he heard the door close and he exited the building and flew into the night sky.

* * *

"Are you sure about her?"

"Of course, do you doubt my abilities?" The woman answered as she twirled the lollipop in her mouth with her tongue.

"It's not that I doubt you, but she seems pretty ordinary to me." Her companion answered.

"Believe me Tessa, she is the perfect candidate. However, you will recruit her later, for now you need to get back to your father. Tomorrow will be a long day." She removed a small book from her pocket and read a few pages before she returned it into her pocket.

"Why do you like that stuff so much?" Tessa asked.

The woman removed the lollipop from her mouth her tongue stained red, "It helps keep me on schedule." She replied placing it back in her mouth before she disappeared.

"I hate it when she does that." Tessa said as she flew into the air and headed 'home'.

A/N  
Things are confusing I know but everything will become clear very soon.


	21. Chapter 21

Tartarus Supermax Prison  
(Two weeks ago)

"Michael can I ask you a question?"

The prison guard turned to the inmate and nodded. "Sure, Alex what do you want to know?" Since his incarceration, the criminal had showed a lot of interest in him and they were gradually becoming friends.

"Your last name is very familiar. Is there someone well known in your family?" Alex asked as they walked towards his cell.

Michael gave a small smile, "Actually yes. My father was a scientist working for a company called Entrocorp that was destroyed a few years back. He was one of the survivors and a few years later he was involved in a similar experiment to the one that destroyed Entrocorp. They didn't succeed and he died a few months later."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Alex said.

"Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago." The guard said. "He used to take me to his new lab when I was little and he would spend the whole day explaining to me how his experiment worked. After they failed to restart the experiment he gave me this crystal, said that it was very important. It is one of the only things that I have left of him."

"What kind of crystal was it?" Alex asked curiously.

"It was the oddest thing I had ever seen. It was diamond shaped and the main color was black but it also had other colors swirling at its center. Dad said it was the crown jewel of their project capable of acting as a powerful transducer compared to its size and at the same time able to withstand the enormous energy that was directed through it. What?" Michael asked as he noticed the look Alex was giving him.

Alex shrugged, "nothing, it's just that you always have this look when you talk about science and technology I just wonder why you work here when you can make something of yourself."

Michael was silent pondering how he would answer as they came to a stop in front of Alex's cell. "When dad passed away things got bad for us and I had to work to support my family. Somehow going to school seemed trivial compared to trying to provide for my siblings. Mom tried but she was too sick after a while and then this place was built and the salary at the time was more than enough so here I am."

"Why don't you go back now? I mean, you're really smart and it would help with your financial issues."

"I could, but there is something telling me that I need to be here. I mean, everything happens for a reason." Michael said.

Alex nodded giving the man a small smile. If only he knew how important he was in the events to come. "Maybe you were destined for greater things my friend."

"Maybe I was." Michael agreed. He tapped a panel next to the cell door and a fellow guard appeared on the screen. "Open cell TL6-16 Alexander Luthor." The cell door slid open and Alex stepped through. "See you next week Luthor."

"Take care of yourself and say hi to the family." Alex watched as Michael gave a nod and waited until he heard the main door to cell block six open and close. He turned to the figure lying on his bed and tugged at his inhibitor collar, "It seems that Dr. Freeman gave the control crystal to his son and passed on the knowledge of Project Nova as well. But you already knew that didn't you?"

The figure sat up and crossed her legs, "My mission involves jumping back and forwards in time don't assume that I know everything about the spark, I might not even have met the good doctor yet. However you are right, I knew that Michael would have the information on Project Nova as well as the spark that is why you had to be captured, to get close to him so that he could help us in our plans."

"So, when am I leaving?" Xander asked.

"The details shall be communicated to you when everything is in place. However, you shall be joined by two others, the telepath known as Weaver and Legion. I am sure you are all well acquainted." Two other figures appeared and Weaver sat next to the woman while Legion went to stand next to Xander.

"So, when we give the crystal to Freeman, how are we going to ensure that the clone won't get anything from his mind?" Weaver asked.

"You will implant the instructions directly into his subconscious. Aurora won't dare dig that deep in her current state of mind."

"I don't see why you can't get it yourself. No offense but you can go back and forth in time, why not get the crystal and bring it here?" Legion asked.

The woman removed a small book from her coat pocket and scrolled through a page. "There are certain rules in place that prevent me from doing that and breaking those rules will have serious repercussions. Handing over the crystal is the only way to ensure that it will reach Tessa safely. I need to leave." The woman said as she shut the book and returned it into her pocket. She removed a yellow lollipop from her mouth before she continued. "I have another engagement that I need to get back to. Further instructions have been uploaded to your minds. I will personally inform you when the time is right." Just as they appeared, Weaver and Legion disappeared. "Do not fail." She said turning to Xander.

He nodded and the woman disappeared as easily as she appeared. Darkmatter got into bed and turned on his side. Things were definitely going to get interesting.

* * *

Darkmatter gave a small smile as he looked at his interrogator. The plan had worked perfectly and the crystal was now safely in the hands of Dr. Freeman and Aurora had let him go with the rest of the scientists not knowing that one of them could be used to transport the crystal to the future.

"Tell me how you transported the control crystal Xander." Aurora asked. She could have easily gotten the information from him but his mind was a psychic minefield with protections designed to prevent psychic intrusion. That was not her main concern however as she could maneuver through the traps even if it took some time. The problem was that she could destroy his mind if she tried to get the information. That was not a risk she was willing to take. She knew she wouldn't get anything from him and with a sigh she turned and walked out of the interrogation room. She took a seat on the couch next to Zoe and Lilly who were talking to Artemis, M'gann and Zatanna. The rest of the team was trying to find relevant information on the most likely targets that Achilles would attack while Batman had gone back to the batcave to investigate an incident that had been brought to his attention.

"It's not your fault and after we were taken you found us and brought us home." Lilly was saying apparently trying to assure the older heroes that their capture was not their fault.

"We should have protected you." Zatanna stated firmly.

They were silent for a moment before Artemis turned to Aurora. "Weaver, why does she call you a 'clone' yet you aren't one?"

"It's a derogatory term she uses to try and piss me off." Aurora said.

"Because Conner is a clone?" M'gann asked.

"Yes and because due to a process we can't understand, maybe it's the process they used to clone dad or because you are a shape shifter, all of us are identical copies of you. Well physically that is but hair, skin and eye color changes."

"Am I interrupting anything?" Zatara asked as he walked into the room with Fate. They shook their heads and he continued, "We have compiled a list of locations and targets your brother might choose. The rest are waiting for your confirmation."

Aurora nodded and walked out of the room. "You know that you guys can switch right?" Zoe asked turning to Nabu and Zatara.

"You mean I can become tangible?" Zatara asked.

"Well it's not that simple but yeah, you can say that." Zoe answered.

"How?" Zatanna asked.

"When Fate is not needed, he can relinquish control and vice versa." Zoe explained. "It does take some time and practice however."

"How did this happen?" Nabu asked as he tried to relinquish control to Zatara. Despite what people thought he wasn't heartless, he just wanted to protect those in need. If he could give Zatara control when not needed and Zatara would do the same when he was needed, then he saw no reason to refuse him.

Zoe shrugged, "Thank Klarion, I mean he didn't mean to but he's the one who made it possible. I think I'll go and help Rory." She stood up and left the sound of Lilly laughing at her mother and grandfather's expression floating behind her.


	22. Chapter 22

Achilles typed on the computer a smile on his face. The security system was archaic compared to the system set up in his time. His fingers flew over the massive keyboard as he searched for the file he needed. He heard a new heartbeat join him and a few seconds later a whoosh. He extended his telekinetic field and the batarang fell harmlessly to the ground. He turned slowly to face the Batman who was glaring at him. Understandable since he was intruding in his home. "Hello Bruce, I apologize for the intrusion but I will leave as soon as I am finished."

"No you won't. " The bat growled and was about to step forward but found himself pinned by an unseen force. He had a feeling of déjà vu as he remembered Conner using the same trick a few days earlier.

Achilles walked towards Batman slowly, he was a few steps away when his footsteps faltered for a moment. He clenched his fists and continued until he stood before the bat. "Kryptonite doesn't work that well on me, I can endure any pain and you need large amounts of it to make me weak." He opened the Dark knight's hand and examined the small green rock closely. "You know in our time it doesn't exist, all of it consumed by Nemesis, still the fact that something so small could take out Superman." He shook his head and threw the rock behind him. He looked at Batman and slowly walked around him in a small circle scrutinizing him.

"What do you want?" Batman asked.

"There is something that I need, but like I said once I find it I'll leave."

"Your sister is worried about you. She needs you to go back to the cave."

Achilles stopped in front of him and looked at the ground sadly, "I know, but there are things I need to do."

"You know she will try to stop you." Batman said trying in vain to move. "And ultimately she will fail. There is no going back. You can't merge with her and go home pretending that things are okay and she knows that. Meaning that there are two outcomes to your confrontation either she beats you physically or psychically, or you beat her. She loves you too much and that is why she will lose. If you give up now, you could save her a lot of pain.

Achilles gave him a small smile as he continued pacing around the Dark Knight, "Do you know that you depowered Superman."

"And why would I do that?" Batman asked curiously

"Because he is like a brother to you, I mean brotherhood is so complicated take father and Uncle Richard for example, they nearly killed each other at one point. Then again sleeping with your brother's wife can have that effect." He remained silent for a moment before he shook his head, "Anyway, you took away his powers to save him, then you nearly killed each other as well. Funny how the world works."

"Hilarious." Batman said sarcastically. "Is there a point to this story?"

Achilles stopped pacing and looked at him, "I'm sorry, due to Weaver's torture and my stay at the fortress my mind wanders at times. It is rare, but quite infuriating. The point is, she won't lose." He said walking back to the computer.

"How can you be so sure?"

"For the same reason that you depowered Kal-el, the same reason why you couldn't abandon my father while he was dying a few days ago, the same reason that my father beat me within an inch of my life and imprisoned me in the Fortress. She won't lose, because she loves me too much. She will do anything in her power to stop me and she will succeed."

"Then why don't you just give up? Save her the trouble."

"Because Bruce, there is someone I have to see before I leave." He finished typing and a file appeared on the screen.

"Lex Luthor." Batman read as the file was displayed on the screen. "What do you want from Luthor?"

Achilles turned around, "He made me who I am. I just want to show my appreciation. I knew you would have information on him, his schedule, his plans and his current whereabouts and so I came here." He scrolled through the file and there was silence for a few minutes.

"Did you kill those people?" Batman asked he had just come from the crime scene Commissioner Gordon had called him about, two men skinned alive and the third killed in an unknown manner.

Achilles stopped reading and he turned to face him, "The three animals in the alley? Yes, I killed two of them. The third must have died later on."

"Why? You knew killing them might affect your timeline so why take the risk?"

Achilles turned back to the screen and continued reading, "They were scum, trying to hurt the innocent you swore to protect."

"You didn't have to kill them."

"Yes I did. Death is the only place where they won't hurt anybody else. Same thing with the light, you should have killed them all when you had the chance."

Batman narrowed his eyes, "We don't kill. You may think that killing is the right thing to do but it makes you just as worse as they are."

"If condemning my soul is the price I pay for ridding this world of evil then so be it. If it's the price I pay for protecting my family then I pay it gladly." He turned off the computer and walked towards the Bat.

"And yet you were separated from your family because of your actions. If you truly loved them you would accept their help." Batman stated.

Achilles looked at him sadly, "That is one of the few regrets I have, but keeping them safe is more important. You see I'm only doing what the league is too afraid to do."

"We don't kill not because we are afraid but because killing is wrong."

"Is that why you have contingency plans in case the league goes rogue? Why the Watchtower has no weapons? Stop lying to yourself Bruce, you are afraid that once you kill, you will become even worse than the very things you were created to fight against. Admit it, I am a necessary evil and when my mission is complete, then the league will deal with the only evil being left." He turned and walked towards the exit.

"Your father thought that killing the Light would keep us safe but he saw the flaw in that logic. He saw that killing accomplished nothing." Achilles stopped and turned to the still frozen Batman.

"And that is my biggest regret. That I will never become even half the man my father was." Achilles said sadly. "Thank you for taking care of my sister. Goodbye Bruce." His eyes glowed blue and the bat fell unconscious. He then turned and disappeared into the night sky.

A/N  
In response to Jaden365's comment, I have mentioned several of the League's sons and the only reason I am concentrating on these three is because they were the only ones who could go on the mission as you shall see in later chapters.


	23. Chapter 23

They had been checking for the last three hours and they still weren't any closer to saying with certainty where Achilles might be headed. Canary, Wonder woman, Superman, Hal and Flash had returned half an hour ago not making much progress either. They were about to take a break when Aurora heard the Zeta-tube come to life and the computer announced Batman's arrival. Batman stumbled into the briefing room holding his head and Aurora rushed to his side. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

"Your brother." Batman growled and Aurora nodded in understanding.

She held her fingers to his temple and her eyes glowed. After a few seconds she let go and he stood up. "Sorry about that, it's a trick we learnt to easily incapacitate someone but it leaves you with a huge headache afterwards."

"He's going after Luthor." Batman said as he composed himself and walked over to the holoscreen. "Luthor went to one of his private islands two days ago. That is where Achilles is headed."

Lilly nodded, "Makes sense, Lex is the one who gave the order to have us kidnapped."

"Then we need to leave as soon as we can." Canary said.

"We'll need to come up with a plan first. Aurora we will need…" Wonder woman trailed off as she turned around trying to find her. "Where did she go?"

"I'll go find her." Zoe said and walked towards the hangar. She found her in the bioship and she leaned on the hull, "Mind telling me what you think you're doing?"

Aurora turned to her, "I'm disabling the ship until I have enough of a head start."

"You're going after Achilles yourself." Zoe stated. "You don't even know where Lex is."

Aurora held her palm up to the ship and it powered down. "I got the info from Bruce when he came in."

"Okay, so why don't you let us go with you?"

"I am the only one that can stop him Zoe." Aurora said taking a step towards her.

Zoe's eyes widened in shock, "You can't be serious." She looked at her in the eyes, the link between them allowing her to feel the other's determination. "You said before that the Alphas stick together and now you're going into this alone? We can help you."

"Achilles is my responsibility. It would be wrong for anybody else to interfere, plus what he is doing doesn't make sense. Bringing you guys into the fight without understanding what his intentions are could be dangerous."

Zoe walked towards her and took her hands, "Rory, you don't have to do this. You know what will happen if you turn. You can't risk going up against him."

"And that is exactly why I am doing it. Achilles still has some good left in him but if he goes bad then so do we. He needs to be stopped." Aurora accessed the circular device on her wrist and shut sphere down. She would incapacitate Lily, Superman and the Flash as she was leaving. "I'm really sorry Zee."

"What are you talking..?" Her eyes narrowed as she realised what Aurora intended to do. "Don't you dare…"

Aurora gave her an apologetic look as her eyes glowed blue and Zoe fell unconscious. Aurora caught her and laid her down gently and her eyes glowed as she took out Lilly, Flash and Superman. She morphed her costume, tattoos appearing over her left eye and right forearm. She walked out of the cave and with explosive force flew away from Mt. justice.

**A/N  
Hey guys, I know there is a place reserved in hell for making you wait for so long but there were personal and health issues that prevented me from updating. Here is a new update and now that this are settling down I will be able to update much sooner. Hope you can forgive me and enjoy.  
**


	24. Chapter 24

"Father, the report is in from Dr. Fairchild." A beautiful woman said as she handed a folder to her "father". She was slightly tall with blue eyes and blonde hair that fell up to her lower back. Her skin was slightly tanned and she had a slightly muscular physique. She wore a tight fitting shirt and blue skinny jeans with black boots.

Lex Luthor took the folder and read through it. "Excellent." He said with a large smile. "You and your brother will begin retrieving suitable candidates for the project. I want the first test subjects to be taken to the lab by next week." The woman nodded and Lex couldn't help but smile with pride. She was not the disappointment that Conner had been. Though she had accepted him just a few days ago and despite their history, what with him ordering her death, he felt something for her. She completed every task she was assigned and she was loyal to him. He still had his reservations about her but she gave no reason for him to doubt her loyalty. Alexander, Tessa's sibling and Lex's clone, was loyal as well but he was too quiet, too unattached and in all honesty, the boy made him very uncomfortable. "Thank you Lutessa."

Tessa gave a nod and was about to leave when Mercy stepped into the room, "Mr. Luthor, sensors have detected an unidentified object approaching the island at an incredible speed. I would advise we get you to the bunker immediately."

"You worry too much Mercy, Lutessa if you would be so kind." Lex said calmly reclining in his chair.

Lutessa Luthor closed her eyes and relayed the message to her brother. A few seconds later, a figure rose up from the island and headed for the unidentified object. Alexander Luthor Jr squint his eyes trying to get a better view of the blur approaching him. The blur increased its speed and knocked into Alex sending both of them crashing into the house located at the center of the island.

Tessa jumped in front of Lex shielding him from the debris that fell from the roof due to the crash. Mercy, holding onto a wall to steady herself pushed off and stood in front of Lex protectively her arm open to reveal the concealed weapon contained within. A figure walked into the room carrying Alex on his shoulder.

"Hello grandfather, it's been too long." Achilles spoke as he dumped Alex on the floor his blonde hair covered with dust and his blue eyes closed.

Tessa looked at her brother lying unconscious on the floor and glared at Achilles. "Son, what do you think you are doing?" Lex asked mistaking Achilles for Conner.

"He is not Conner." Tessa corrected her eyes locked on the figure before her.

"Are you sure?" Lex asked.

Tessa tore her gaze from Achilles and looked at her father, "Yes." She had spent most of her life at Cadmus mentally bound to both her siblings, she would recognize Conner just by being near him and this impostor who stood before her was not Conner.

Achilles took a step forward and Mercy opened fire, the blast bouncing harmlessly off him. He used his telekinesis to slam her into a wall and watched as she crumpled to the ground unconscious. He walked closer and stopped in front of Lex's desk. "Who are you? What do you want?" Lex asked his eyes locked on Achilles'.

Achilles pushed the desk out of the way and summoned one of the chairs that had fallen over and took a seat. "I want to have a talk."

* * *

"You called me grandfather. Who are you?"

"My human name is Achilles Kent, my Kryptonian name is Van-el but you can call me Ares. I am the son of Conner Kent and M'gann Morse." Achilles replied.

"Interesting, let's say I believe you, what do you want from me?" Lex Luthor asked his voice calm.

"I never said I intended to talk with you." Achilles looked at Tessa before his eyes travelled back to his grandfather. "But still I'll give you a piece of advice, enjoy the life you have while it lasts."

"What do you mean while it lasts?" Lex asked, showing a hint of concern for the first time.

"Don't worry you will understand, in time." Achilles leaned in closer to Lex and whispered in his ear, "You know, I may have spent half my life locked up but dear sister saw to it that your fate was infinitely worse than mine. Enjoy your freedom, it won't last forever. Goodbye Lex." His eyes glowed blue and the bald man slumped unconscious in his seat. Achilles turned his attention to his aunt. She was too calm about what was happening. "You know who I am."

"Yes." Lutessa said. "I know a lot of things."

"One of the reasons for me coming to this place, tell me aunt, how much do you know?"

Lutessa thought for a moment before she spoke, "I know that you came from the future to stop my son from completing his task. I also know what you are and what you are capable of."

Lutessa walked forward slowly and picked up another seat. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

Achilles looked away for a second before answering her, "First I would like to say thank you for helping me."

"Well what is family for?" Tessa asked with a smile.

"The second thing I want is information."

Tessa looked at him curiously, "what do you want to know?"

"Well for starters, you, Alex and my father were created by Cadmus and linked together psychically to function as a unit. But the Light learning that Lex had used Cadmus to create his clone and add his DNA to project Kr had you and Alex terminated."

Tessa kept her face clear of emotion but her heartbeat betrayed her and Achilles knew he was on the right track. "The league already knows everything about us."

"Yes they think they do. But you didn't tell them how you survived genetic disintegration." Achilles smiled at the look on his aunt's face. "There is no way that Dubbilex by himself could have saved you from dying so why don't you tell me how you survived."

Tessa took a deep breath and blew it out her mouth, "If you are asking me that question then you already know how we survived. The only reason you would be asking me is because you want to know about the Emissary."

"Yes, who is she?" Achilles asked sitting up straighter. "More importantly why is she interfering in our lives?"

Tessa opened her mouth as if to answer but then she turned her head to the side as if listening to something that he couldn't hear. She then took a deep breath and looked at Achilles, "Have you ever had of the Sword of Light?"

"I have heard stories."

"Do you know of its origin?" She asked and Achilles nodded his head. "Well you don't know the whole story. You see most people who know of the sword think that it is just a powerful weapon but it's not. As long as good and evil have existed they have fought with each other. The sword is the only thing that can end that war. However, due to the massive casualties inflicted by the war on our plane, rules were established between the mighty powers of good and evil that ensured they could not fight on our plane of existence. Instead, each side would have a representative who would amass armies to fight on their behalf. The evil side has their Temptress while the pure side has the Emissary."

"So let me get this straight, the Emissary is amassing an army that I am part of to fight some war between good and evil. I think you can see why I am having a hard time believing your story." Achilles said.

"Believe it or not, that is the truth. Did you really think that everything that has happened was a coincidence, the formation of the Light, the Team, the attack on Rimbor by the league members, the Kroloteans, the Reach, you coming to the past and saving that young girl's life? Every major event that has taken place was carefully planned by parties on both sides. So far, the temptress has won most of the battles and the emissary is doing everything she can to give us a fighting chance. A war is on the horizon and Earth may not stand a chance."

"I thought that the war is for the fate of the entire Universe not just Earth."

"Yes it is but the sword is currently on earth and so is the Champion."

"I'm sorry, who?" Achilles asked slightly confused.

"Each side has a Champion, the ones who will fight against each other for the sake of the Universe."

"I thought you said the war would be between the armies of good and evil."

"Even one man can be an army. Since the war started the two champions have weakened each other but with the sword one side can win and if the good side wins then it will be paradise for all of us."

"So, let's say I believe you. Who is the Champion? Who is the Emissary and what does she want with me and my family?"

Lutessa shook her head. "I can't tell you but for now, I need you to continue with what you started." Her eyes glowed purple and she gave him a smile.

"It's you. You mean to tell me I've been talking to you all this time?"

Standing up, 'Lutessa' Walked over to Achilles and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry about everything you had to go through but choose the right path or you will end up on the wrong side of this war. Goodbye." She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and walked away.

"This conversation is not over, I still need answers." Achilles said standing up to face her.

She turned around and put a lollipop in her mouth. "You still don't get it, this conversation never happened."

* * *

"I asked you a question."

Achilles turned to face Lex who looked slightly flustered at having to repeat himself. "I'm sorry, my mind wanders sometimes."

"I asked you who you are and what you want from me."

"Who I am doesn't matter and it is not you I came to talk to." His eyes glowed and Lex slumped back on his seat unconscious.

"Are you okay?" Tessa asked the Martian–Kryptonian hybrid who looked slightly confused.

"I'm fine, I just thought…." Achilles said rubbing his temples. Something was nagging at him and he couldn't tell what exactly it was but he had a strong feeling of déjà vu. "Never mind, it was you I came to talk to."

There was a low moan and Alexander woke up, rising groggily to his feet. He walked over to the still unconscious form of Lex's bodyguard and crouched down; carefully he searched for any injuries before he stood up and walked to stand protectively next to his sister. "Uncle Alex, sorry for the rude welcome but you were standing in my way."

Alexander looked at his sister communicating in their usual telepathic manner before Lutessa turned her attention back to the boy sitting in front of her. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"You need to tell your superior that my family is not some pawns that can be toyed with. I caught up to one of your operatives and I know that you answer to someone else."

Lutessa looked surprised for a moment before she gave him a small smile, "You know about The Emissary."

"Yes, who is she?"

"I can't tell you. However, I can tell you that you have already met."

"You need to tell her to back off."

"I'll pass along the message." Lutessa turned to her brother and gave him a small nod. The clone walked towards the unconscious female bodyguard and took her carefully in his arms before he disappeared into thin air. "However, and I'm sorry to tell you this Achilles, in this game all of us are pawns. Say hi to your sister for me." She then threw Lex over her shoulder and disappeared as well.

Achilles tuned his hearing and he heard a distinctive boom. A few seconds later he was tackled from behind and slammed through several walls before both beings crashed into the sand. He stood up and looked into the blue eyes of his sister. "You know, you didn't have to hit so hard."


	25. Chapter 25

She is so dead. Zoe thought as she woke up. She blinked her eyes several times before the room came into focus. She was laid out on the couch, various team members keeping an eye on her. "Are you okay?" Zatanna asked her eyes filled with worry as she gave the girl a hug. Zoe nodded hugging her back.

"What happened?" Conner asked his arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah, we found you in the hangar right after Superman, Lilly and Flash were knocked out." Richard added.

"It was Aurora. She wanted to go after Achilles alone without interference from any of us." Zoe replied.

"I don't understand. Why wouldn't she want us to go with her?" M'gann asked.

"She thinks that it would be best if she went alone." Zoe replied. She tried to get up but found that she had a massive headache. Oh yeah, she was so dead.

"So, what do we do now?" Zatanna asked hovering protectively over the younger magician.

"I thought you guys would have gone after her by now."

Nightwing answered her. "We couldn't. Aurora took out the bioship as well as sphere and Hal's ring conveniently lost all of its power, Nabu is dealing with Klarion and with John dealing with an emergency on the other side of the world, there was no way for us to go after her. Plus we thought that someone attacked you, Lilly, Superman and Flash and Aurora was nowhere to be found so we were on defense mode."

Zoe ran her fingers through her hair trying to calm herself down. She loved the Martian-Kryptonian hybrid but sometimes she just wanted to kick her butt. "That is exactly what she wanted. She took out our means of transportation then she took out those who would be fast enough to catch up to her and finally she made sure I wouldn't be able to teleport you there."

"She's smart I'll give her that but she's letting her emotions cloud her judgment." Batman appeared from the shadows causing her to jump slightly. He wasn't that quiet in her time. "The others are awake."

"How long were we out?" Zoe asked. It was no coincidence that they woke up at exactly the same time.

"About twenty minutes, why?" Zatanna answered.

Zoe was silent for a moment before she stood up and ran towards the hangar the team following close behind her. Sure enough sphere was back online and the bioship was humming ready for departure. "This was her plan."

"What?" Artemis asked.

"That's why she incapacitated us."

"What are you talking about?" Wally asked as confused as the rest.

Before she could answer, Lilly screeched to a halt in front of the team. "I know what she's planning."

"I already know but do you think it will work?" Zoe asked the female speedster.

"Maybe, they thought about doing the same when Achilles was captured."

"Still, there is a risk."

"That is why she wanted us to follow her later on. We're the backup plan."

"Would you two mind telling us what Aurora planned?" Nightwing asked slightly irritated.

"Sorry, I thought that she just wanted to incapacitate Achilles and bring him back with us but that's not her plan. She is going to try to contain Achilles' dark side so that he won't have the urge to kill anymore." Zoe answered. "Kind of like a wall that holds back his darkness."

"The only problem is, she would have to break through his psychic defenses to do it. If those two have a full on psychic battle, they could destroy everything around them." Lilly added.

"That's why she went alone first to defeat him before we arrived." Zoe finished and a sudden thought came to her mind. "Do you think Achilles went there on purpose?"

"To provide their own private battlefield? Yeah the thought had crossed my mind."

"You think that he wants her to fight him." Batman asked.

Zoe nodded deep in thought. "I thought you said he believed in his mission. Why would he want her to stop him?" Superman asked as he and the Flash entered the hangar followed by Canary, Wonder woman, Manhunter and Wolf.

"He knew there was no other way out. The time travelling spell is very complex meaning it had to be reinforced by other spells. One of those spells linked us together so that when the time comes, we all leave whether he likes it or not. He knows that once we return he's going back on ice and he can't risk that." Zoe explained. "Still, there's more to this than him wanting to be free. For now you need to leave and make sure she has back-up."

"Why don't you or Zatanna just open a portal to the island?" Wally asked. "It would be faster."

Zoe shook her head in disagreement. "Rory has a plan. I have to give her a chance to implement it. Besides, my being here will affect Zatanna's powers so she won't be able to transport you there." Wally nodded in understanding and walked onto the bioship.

"You're not coming with us?" Nightwing asked as the team got on the bioship.

"I think you can handle this on your own." Batman replied. "However we will be on standby, should you need assistance." He then turned and left with the rest of the league.

"What about you?" Nightwing turned to Zoe who seemed to be staying behind as well.

"I'll stay here in case the prisoners try to escape." Zoe replied.

Lilly waited until the team went inside the bioship before she turned and studied her friend closely. "That's not the only reason you're staying behind is it?"

"No, I need answers and there is only one person that can give them to me."

"Don't worry she'll win" Lilly said trying to reassure her friend.

"She better." Zoe whispered watching as Lilly boarded and the bioship took off. "Want to help me with interrogations?" She asked turning to Wolf and Sphere. The large canine gave a low growl and she scratched his head affectionately. "I thought so."

* * *

To say that Lex's Island was beautiful was an understatement. It was breathtaking. It was actually made up of two islands. A crescent shaped spit of land and in the middle the main island. He must have paid a fortune to customize it but it was worth every penny. In the middle of the main island there was a magnificent two storey mansion. At least it had been but currently, half of it was destroyed by something slamming into it. All this was processed in seconds as Aurora flew towards the damaged section. She entered the building and accelerated as she saw her brother before tackling him from behind and sending the both of them flying.

They came to a stop near the beach as they crashed into the sand. Aurora studied her brother as he wiped sand from his costume. "This end's now."

Achilles turned his attention to Aurora and gave her a smile. "Of course, but do you really think you can beat me?"

"Achilles please, you don't have to do this." She knew what had to be done but she didn't want to fight him.

"Yes, I do." Achilles was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. "You used to believe that what I'm doing is right, a part of you still does."

Aurora remained silent. It was true, a part of her wanted nothing more than to join her brother and get rid of every villain on the planet. "You're right. There is a darkness in me that tries to break to the surface. You embraced yours while I fought against mine but ever since dad died it's been getting harder and harder for me to fight it. I am hanging on by a thread and if anything else happens I'm not sure I will be able to fight it. I don't think I would want to. But you could help me. Please Achilles, don't make me fight you."

Achilles considered his sister's words. He wanted nothing more than to go with her quietly but there was too much at stake. "You want me to stand down? Then tell me this, where did you go for those three years?"

Aurora was surprised by the question, "I don't know. Our memories were tampered with."

"Okay, then what happened to you? Hector died and then he came back and for some reason you are the only ones who are immune to Apollyon's powers. Something happened to you and it also affected me. In the crystal I saw things, things that didn't make sense and then I felt different. After you came back you had changed and so did I. You are going to tell me what happened."

Aurora thought over his demands before she countered. "Fine, I'll tell you but only on the condition that you stand down."

"I don't think that will happen."

"Please, you could join us. You could help us protect our family."

Achilles looked skeptical, "So you want me to join Alpha Six? We both know the League won't allow me to roam free. We go back and they'll put me back on ice."

"Then let me help you. I can help you suppress your dark side. You can come home." Aurora saw that she wasn't gaining any ground and she tried a different tactic. "Did you know that mom was nearly admitted to a psychiatric facility?"

"Yes. The toll of losing her second unborn child nearly drove her insane."

"You saw how she was after dad died and if it weren't for the triplets she wouldn't be holding on as well as she is. If we do this, you know that there is a risk one or both of us will end up in a catatonic state." She watched as Achilles shifted uncomfortably before she continued. "Do you really want to put mom through something like that? Please, let me help you."

Those words made him think long and hard but in the end Achilles knew that this was the only way. "If what Xander said is true then I have to be free. It is the only way." He morphed his costume tattoos appearing over his right eye and left forearm, his costume turning black with a silver S-shield.

Aurora watched as he morphed his costume to mirror hers, the same costumes they wore as Vengeance and Wrath. "You know I won't hold back."

Achilles gave her a smile and got into a fighting stance, "I didn't expect you to."


	26. Chapter 26

Aurora made the first move. Using her telepathy, she tried to break through Achilles' mental barriers. Achilles countered trying to force her out of his mind and both were knocked off balance as a telekinetic force expanded before them. Aurora tried again and this time Achilles countered even more forcefully, the resulting shockwave knocking them backwards. She knew that the attack wouldn't work but she needed to catch him off guard if her plan would succeed.

Switching tactics, she flew at him and landed a punch at his jaw sending him flying backwards. Achilles smashed into a rock and came to a stop. He got up and tried to return the favor but his punch was blocked. He swung with his left but Aurora ducked and punched him in the stomach before she punched him again in the face.

Achilles staggered backwards but quickly regained his composure. He aimed a punch at her face that she blocked easily but he used his Martian abilities to morph another hand and punched her in the ribs. He punched her again in the face before he lifted her up and slammed her into the ground.

Aurora slammed into the ground and quickly rolled off to the side as Achilles' found the space where she had been a few seconds ago. She stood up in time to block another punch but Achilles kicked her in the stomach. Her hand clutched her stomach as pain shot through her body. She saw Achilles aim another punch to the face but she caught his fist and ducked under his hand and turned her back towards him before she brought his elbow on her shoulder and pushed down hard and elbowed him in the back with her other hand.

Achilles barely flinched as she broke the joint but before he could counter she grabbed hold of his neck from behind and used her strength to lift him over her shoulder before she kicked him in the stomach and sent him into the ground. Achilles got to his knees and looked at his injured hand. He watched as it healed before his eyes and tried out the joint to make sure it was working properly. Once he made sure it was fully healed, he got to his feet and flew towards his sister. Aurora waited for him to throw another punch but he tackled into her and sent them flying before he slammed her into the wall of Luthor's mansion. He then proceeded to assault her with a torrent of punches to her torso and face.

Aurora tried to block the punches but Achilles was using his morphing abilities, growing new arms and reabsorbing them at random. She blocked a few of them but most of them found their mark. Achilles decided to throw one last punch putting his telekinetic energy behind it. The force of the energy together with his strength caused her to go through half the walls in the mansion before she came to a stop in one of the studies and the room, already weakened by Achilles' violent arrival, caved in on her.

Achilles flew towards her and hovered a few inches of the ground. He moved closer towards the ruble and used his telepathy to find out her status. Unfortunately since both their minds were currently closed to the other he couldn't tell how much damage he had caused. However, using his hearing he could hear her heartbeat as well as her breathing. "You're holding back." He said knowing that she could still hear him. "I thought you wanted to stop me dear sister. But maybe you don't have it in you or maybe you don't love me enough to take me down." He was taunting her, knowing that if she became mad enough she would stop holding back. "You know, father didn't hesitate. He loved me enough that he defeated me as fast as he could. But we both now that you are nothing like father."

Aurora hearing those words knew that this was her opportunity and she reacted, explosively. With a scream of rage a telekinetic blast threw away the rock and debris covering her and Achilles had to lift a telekinetic shield to protect himself from the missiles. Still, the force from the blast sent him a few feet back. After the dust settled, there stood Aurora, but she had changed and only those who knew her could see the subtle differences. Her eyes were glowing blue and there was a shift in the way she held herself, as if she could tear anything that got in her way to shreds. But the one thing that changed the most was her smile. It was the smile of a predator that had cornered its prey and Achilles knew that he stood no chance against her in this state.

Achilles rushed forward and punched her in the face. His fist made contact but she barely moved and sudden pain erupted in his knuckles. He was used to pain and he punched her again with the same results, Aurora having increased her density she was now much more invulnerable than before. Having not yet mastered density shifting, he threw another punch but Aurora caught it easily and squeezed until she felt the bones shatter in her hand. She looked at him in the eyes and he gave her a smile, "Well it's about time."

* * *

"Batman, we have managed to receive satellite footage of Luthor's island from the coordinates you gave us." Mal reported typing away on the computers.

"Patch it through to the bioship as well." Batman said as he, Canary and Zoe came closer to the monitors. "They need to know what they are walking into."

Mal typed on the keyboard before he notified the team, "Nightwing, incoming satellite video of the island." He opened another window while leaving the channel open so they could here each other. "Well it seems Achilles got what he wanted." He commented as they watched Achilles slam Aurora into the ground.

"I thought you said he wasn't good at hand to hand." Robin's voice floated through the comm. Channel and Batman, Canary and Mal turned to Zoe.

"Compared to us, he isn't." Lilly's voice replied.

"He has no chance against her but she must be holding back for some reason." Zoe added her voice strained as she watched Achilles pummel Aurora to a pulp. She knew she didn't have anything to worry about but that didn't mean she was comfortable watching her girlfriend get beat up.

"Well it seems that he is better than you thought." Rocket said as she watched the girl get buried under a pile of rubble. "We should go help her."

"Miss Martian, what's our ETA?" Nightwing asked.

"About fifteen minutes but I don't think she'll need our help." M'gann answered and they all turned to the screen to find Aurora shrugging off Achilles' punches.

"Now you get to see the second best fighter of our team in action." Lilly said her attention on the monitor. The team did the same and they watched as Aurora turned the tables on her brother.

At the cave, Batman, Canary and Mal watched in awe as Aurora fought with a grace they had never seen before. Every punch Achilles threw was either blocked or dodged but all of Aurora's blows found their mark. She weaved and danced around her opponent every blow delivering as much damage as possible and the results could already be seen. Achilles' movements were getting sluggish but Aurora didn't seem to be stopping her attack anytime soon.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" Zoe said her voice carrying a hint of pride.

"Yes she is. But if she doesn't stop soon she might kill him." Canary stated looking concerned.

"Don't worry, they are more resilient than they seem." Zoe gave a final glance at the monitor before she turned and walked away from the computer.

"Where are you going?" Batman asked turning to face his future granddaughter.

"I need to check on the prisoners." Zoe answered without so much as a backward glance.

* * *

Achilles looked at his sister as she stood above him and her bracelets turned into a pair of bladed tonfa. Wiping some blood from his chin Achilles barely had time to react as the blades sliced through the air and tried to get to his feet but a punch from Aurora sent him flying backwards. He fell to the ground and Aurora jumped at him her arm outstretched the blade aimed for his neck. Achilles brought his hand up his bracelet protecting him against his sister's attack. He formed his sword and used it to fend Aurora off. "I know you are mad sister but do you really want to kill me?"

Aurora remained silent and attacked swinging the bladed weapons at Achilles who blocked them all. Seeing an opening, she slashed his arm and kicked him in the gut sending him into the sand a few feet from her. "Now who's holding back brother? You're supposed to be the best with a sword or maybe all those years in the Fortress have made you soft."

Achilles was uneasy, this was supposed to go differently but Aurora's emotional state had complicated things. He needed to end things before they got out of hand. He ran at his sister and thrust the blade towards her chest. It was a weak move and someone as trained as Aurora could have blocked it and overpowered him but that's not what happened.

Instead of blocking or moving out of the way, Aurora grabbed his hand and plunged the sword into her chest before punching him square in the jaw. Achilles hit the ground and stared in disbelief at the sword protruding from his sister's chest. Aurora fell on her knees and Achilles rushed to her side, grabbing her before she fell. "Got you." She whispered before their eyes glowed red and a telekinetic wave flattened everything on the island and engulfed them in dust.

**A/N**

NEW chapter, hope you enjoy it.


	27. Chapter 27

Batman frowned slightly as he watched his granddaughter enter the interrogation room where Weaver was being held. "I am going to ask you a few questions Weaver and you are going to answer me this time." Zoe said and Weaver nodded. Batman stared at the screen for a few seconds, waiting for Zoe to ask her question but he was intruded by Mal.

"Batman, you'll want to see this." Batman abandoned at the window displaying the surveillance feed from the interrogation and walked to the main screen. He watched as the fight advanced with both powerhouses now sporting bladed weapons. He saw what they had meant when they said Achilles was deadly with the sword and scrunched his eyebrows in confusion as he watched him make a fatal mistake that would surely hand Aurora the victory. Then his eyes widened as he saw Aurora grab the sword and stab herself with it. Achilles ran to her side and their eyes glowed red. Almost immediately, their attention was drawn to the interrogation room feed as Zoe clutched her head and a scream pierced the air.

"Mal, we have a situation." Nightwing's voice came through the cave's computer.

Mal turned back to the holoscreen and opened a window to show Nightwing's face, "What is it Nightwing?"

"It's Quickshot, her eyes glowed and she started screaming."

"The same thing happened to Zoe. It seems Aurora being stabbed triggered it." Batman said as he watched Canary run out of the room towards the interrogation room.

"Should we proceed or should we turn back?"

Batman was about to answer but Lilly's screams stopped and she got to her feet, tears streaming down her face. "We need to hurry." She said shakily wiping the tears away.

"Are you okay?" Wally asked rushing to her side.

"What happened?" Artemis added as she kneeled next to her.

Lilly shook her head trying to gather her thoughts, "She's dying. We need to go help her."

"We're a few minutes away from the island." Miss Martian reported watching as the small speck grew larger.

"No, you need to stay away from the island." Zoe said as she came to a halt in front of the holoscreen her cheeks soaked with tears.

Lilly looked at her as if she had lost her mind, "what the hell are you talking about? Aurora is dying. The girl you love is dying and you want us to run away."

"No, that's not what I meant. Canary told me that Aurora wanted to get stabbed that means that she and Achilles are linked."

"Meaning that if we go anywhere near that island then there is a good chance that we could be torn to shreds." Lilly said as a look of realization crossed her face.

"I'm sorry but could one of you please tell us what is going on." Conner asked.

Zoe closed her eyes tightly a few more tears leaking out before she took a deep breath and looked at the screen. "This was her plan. From the moment that Achilles escaped she planned for this to end with her stabbed in the chest."

**A/N**

Just a short chapter. I replaced the last chapter that had the apology with a continuation of the story so you can check it out if you have'nt.


	28. Chapter 28

Achilles blinked rapidly as he tried to adjust to the bright light. Finally as everything came into focus he found himself in a large white room. He turned around slowly and his eyes landed on his sister. "Where am I?" he asked as he examined the room. The room was bare with a door in each of the four walls.

"Where do you think you are?" Aurora asked. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Achilles closed his eyes and he was assaulted with memories of the recent events the last memory being Aurora's red glowing eyes. He chuckled, opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling but found the open sky the same with the floor. "We're in my mind."

* * *

They had always been told that their minds were complex. When they were born, their mother said that she was always confused because she couldn't distinguish between their minds. As they grew up they discovered that they could link their conscious minds together but a wall always surrounded their subconscious mind. The wall grew stronger if they were fighting against each other and even their conscious minds were closed off from one another. With the power to meld their bodies together, they understood the need to keep their minds separate but they didn't understand just how complex their mind link was. Not until she nearly died.

They were on the cliff at the cave when Aurora fell into the ocean and drowned. When she was on the brink of death the walls fell away and both their conscious and subconscious were open to each other. Everything was heightened their senses, their emotions. For those few minutes it was as if they were sharing one mind. They felt closer than they ever had and it made them feel as if they were not alone in the world.

From then on, they tried to recreate those events so that they could feel what they felt again. The closest they got was the game they played. Flying as high as they could before plummeting to the ground and for those few seconds they felt incredible, they felt closer but it was not enough. The wall was still there separating them. It would weaken but it would still be there. The only way it would disappear completely was if one of them was dying.

* * *

"How did you know?"

"That you wanted to trick me. That you wanted me to knock you out and then trick me into believing I changed your mind?" Aurora asked. Achilles nodded and she walked closer to him her hands clasped in front of her. "When you went to the batcave even though you knew about this island and that Lex was going to be here. You wanted Batman to see that you were going after Lex and you wanted him to tell me after a certain amount of time had passed. You wanted me to think that you were making mistakes so that I wouldn't be suspicious and I would come here and overpower you when in reality you would still be the same."

"You have to admit, it was a good plan." Achilles said smiling. "So, what happens now?"

"Now we help you, so pick a door." Aurora swept her hand indicating the doors in the room.

"Why don't you choose one yourself?"

"Because your subconscious mind may be open to me but you are still fighting me. I don't want to walk into a psychic minefield so, after you." She watched as he turned and walked towards the door behind him. His arm reached for it and stopped in midair as her eyes glowed. She knew the path they had to take but she had to trick his mind into thinking that it was his choice or it would have been even more dangerous. He turned and walked towards the door on his right and opened the door. The door swung open and they were engulfed in bright light before everything went dark.


End file.
